UC-NRLF 


B    M    CHfl    55b 


BKSAKFAST   IN   THE   WOODS. 


235. 


EDUC.- 
PSYCH. 
UBKARY 


Toby  Tyler 


or 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus 


BY    JAMES    OTIS 

>  Ot<,     K 


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.    \C 

V    I 

El 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAOB 

I.  TOBY'S  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  CIRCUS 9 

II.  TOBY  RUNS  AWAY  FROM  HOME 20 

III.  THE  NIGHT  RIDE 31 

IV.  THE  FIRST  DAY  WITH  THE  CIRCUS 42 

V.  THE  COUNTERFEIT  TEN-CENT  PIECE 54 

VI.  A  TENDER-HEARTED  SKELETON „ 66 

VII.  AN  ACCIDENT  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES 82 

VIII.  CAPTURE  OF  THE  MONKEYS 93 

IX.  THE  DINNER-PARTY 102 

X.  MR.  STUBBS  AT  A  PARTY 118 

XI.  A  STORMY  NIGHT 131 

XII.  TOBY'S  GREAT  MISFORTUNE 143 

XIII.  TOBY  ATTEMPTS  TO  RESIGN  HIS  SITUATION 156 

XIV.  MR.  CASTLE  TEACHES  TOBY  TO  HIDE 169 

XV.  TOBY'S  FRIENDS  PRESENT  HIM  WITH  A  COSTUME 184 

XVI.  TOBY'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE  IN  THE  RING 197 

XVII.  OFF  FOR  HOME! 211 

XVIII.  A  DAY  OF  FREEDOM 229 

XIX.  MR.  STUBBS'S  MISCHIEF,  AND  HIS  SAD  FATE 239 

XX.  HOME  AND  UNCLE  DANIEL..  ..  252 


33802? 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

BREAKFAST  IN  THE  WOODS Frontispiece 

TOBY  STRIKES  A  BARGAIN 11 

TOBY  AND  HIS  NEW  FRIEND 27 

TOBY'S  FIRST  NIGHT  RIDE 33 

OLD  BEN  COMES  TO  THE  RESCUE 47 

"WON'T  YOU  PLEASE  GIVE  ME  THE  MONEY  HACK?" 59 

TOBY  GETS  HIS  SUPPER 73 

JOB  LORD  LEARNS  A  LESSON 79 

THE  BREAK-DOWN,  AND  ESCAPE  or  THE  MONKEYS 89 

BRINGING  BACK  THE  RUNAWAYS 97 

TOBY  is  INTRODUCED  TO  THE  ALBINOS Ill 

TOBY  SITS  DOWN  ON  MR.  STUBBS 127 

TOBY  IN  THE  "WOMEN'S  WAGON" 135 

MR.  STUBBS  AND  TOBY'S  MONEY 151 

TOBY  AND  THE  LITTLE  BOY  CUSTOMERS 165 

THE  FIRST  LESSON 173 

ELLA  AND  TOBY 187 

MADEMOISELLE  JE ANNETTE  AND  MONSIEUR  AJAX 205 

THE  RUNAWAYS 225 

"How  I  LOVE  YOU,  MR.  STUBBS!" 249 

UNCLE  DANIEL'S  BLESSING..., ..  263 


TOBY  TYLER; 

OR, 

TEN   WEEKS  WITH  A   CIRCUS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TOBY'S  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  CIRCUS. 

COULDN'T  you  give  more'n  six  pea-nuts  for  a 
cent  ?"  was  a  question  asked  by  a  very  small  boy, 
with  big,  staring  eyes,  of  a  candy  vender  at  a  cir- 
cus booth.  And  as  he  spoke  he  looked  wistfully 
at  the  quantity  of  nuts  piled  high  up  on  the  basket,  and 
then  at  the  six,  each  of  which  now  looked  so  small  as  he 
held  them  in  his  hand. 

"  Couldn't  do  it,"  was  the  reply  of  the  proprietor  of  the 
booth,  as  he  put  the  boy's  penny  carefully  away  in  the 
drawer. 

The  little  fellow  looked  for  another  moment  at  his  pur- 
chase, and  then  carefully  cracked  the  largest  one. 


IO  Toby  Tyler ;  ort 

A  shade — and  a  very  deep  shade  it  was — of  disappoint- 
ment passed  over  his  face,  and  then,  looking  up  anxiously, 
he  asked,  "  Don't  you  swap  'era  when  they're  bad  3" 

The  man's  face  looked  as  if  a  smile  had  been  a  stranger 
to  it  for  a  long  time;  but  one  did  pay  it  a  visit  just  then, 
and  he  tossed  the  boy  two  nuts,  and  asked  him  a  question 
at  the  same  time.  "  What  is  your  name  ?" 

The  big  brown  eyes  looked  up  for  an  instant,  as  if  to 
learn  whether  the  question  was  asked  in  good  faith,  and 
then  their  owner  said,  as  he  carefully  picked  apart  another 
nut, "  Toby  Tyler." 

"  Well,  that's  a  queer  name." 

"Yes,  I  s'pose  so,  myself;  but,  you  see,  I  don't  expect 
that's  the  name  that  belongs  to  me.  But  the  fellers  call 
me  so,  an'  so  does  Uncle  Dan'l." 

"Who  is  Uncle  Daniel?"  was  the  next  question.  In 
the  absence  of  other  customers  the  man  seemed  disposed 
to  get  as  much  amusement  out  of  the  boy  as  possible. 

"He  hain't  my  uncle  at  all;  1  only  call  him  so  because 
all  the  boys  do,  an'  I  live  with  him." 

"  Where's  your  father  and  mother  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Toby,  rather  carelessly.  "  I  don't 
know  much  about  'em,  an'  Uncle  Dan'l  says  they  don't 
know  much  about  me.  Here's  another  bad  nut;  goin'  to 
give  me  two  more?" 


TOBY    STRIKES    A    BARGAIN. 


Ten  Weeks  witk  a  Circus.  13 

The  two  nuts  were  given  him,  arid  he  said,  as  he  put 
them  in  his  pocket,  and  turned  over  and  over  again  those 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  all  of 
these  was  bad.  Sposen  you  give  me  two  for  each  one  of 
'em  before  I  crack  'em,  an'  then  they  won't  be  spoiled  so 
you  can't  sell  'em  again." 

As  this  offer  of  barter  was  made,  the  man  looked  amused, 
and  he  asked,  as  he  counted  out  the  number  which  Toby 
desired, "  If  I  give  you  these,  I  suppose  you'll  want  me  to 
give  you  two  more  for  each  one,  and  you'll  keep  that  kind 
of  a  trade  going  until  you  get  my  whole  stock  ?" 

"  I  won't  open  my  head  if  every  one  of  'em's  bad." 

"  All  right ;  you  can  keep  what  you've  got,  and  I'll  give 
you  these  besides ;  but  I  don't  want  you  to  buy  any  more, 
for  I  don't  want  to  do  that  kind  of  business." 

Toby  took  the  nuts  offered,  not  in  the  least  abashed,  and 
seated  himself  on  a  convenient  stone  to  eat  them,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  see  all  that  was  going  on  around  him.  The 
coming  of  a  circus  to  the  little  town  of  Guilford  was  an 
event,  and  Toby  had  hardly  thought  of  anything  else  since 
the  highly  colored  posters  had  first  been  put  up.  It  was  yet 
quite  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  tents  were  just  being 
erected  by  the  men.  Toby  had  followed,  with  eager  eyes, 
everything  that  looked  as  if  it  belonged  to  the  circus,  from 
the  time  the  first  wagon  had  entered  the  town  until  the 


14  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

street  parade  had  been  made,  and  everything  was  being  pre- 
pared for  the  afternoon's  performance. 

The  man  who  had  made  the  losing  trade  in  pea-nuts 
seemed  disposed  to  question  the  boy  still  further,  probably 
owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  nothing  better  to  do. 

"  Who  is  this  Uncle  Daniel  you  say  you  live  with — is  he 
a  farmer?" 

"  No ;  he's  a  deacon,  an'  he  raps  me  over  the  head  with 
the  hymn-book  whenever  I  go  to  sleep  in  meetin',  an'  he 
says  I  eat  four  times  as  much  as  I  earn.  I  blame  him  for 
hittin'  so  hard  when  I  go  to  sleep,  but  I  s'pose  he's  right 
about  my  eatin'.  You  see,"  and  here  his  tone  grew  both 
confidential  and  mournful,  "  I  arn  an  awful  eater,  an'  I 
can't  seem  to  help  it.  Somehow  I'm  hungry  all  the  time. 
I  don't  seem  ever  to  get  enough  till  carrot-time  comes,  an' 
then  I  can  get  all  I  want  without  troubling  anybody." 

"  Didn't  you  ever  have  enough  to  eat  ?" 

"  I  s'pose  I  did ;  but  you  see  Uncle  Dan'l  he  found  me 
one  mornin'  on  his  hay,  an'  he  says  I  was  cryin'  for  some- 
thing to  eat  then,  an'  I've  kept  it  up  ever  since.  I  tried  to 
get  him  co  give  me  money  enough  to  go  into  the  circus 
with ;  but  he  said  a  cent  was  all  he  could  spare  these  hard 
times,  an'  I'd  better  take  that  an'  buy  something  to  eat  with 
it,  for  the  show  wasn't  very  good  anyway.  I  wish  pea-nuts 
wasn't  but  a  cent  a  bushel." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  15 

"  Then  you  would  make  yourself  sick  eating  them." 

"  Yes,  I  s'pose  I  should ;  Uncle  Dan'l  says  I'd  eat  till  1 
was  sick,  if  I  got  the  chance ;  but  I'd  like  to  try  it  once." 

He  was  a  very  small  boy,  with  a  round  head  covered  with 
short  red  hair,  a  face  as  speckled  as  any  turkey's  egg,  but 
thoroughly  good-natured-looking ;  and  as  he  sat  there  on  the 
rather  sharp  point  of  the  rock,  swaying  his  body  to  and  fro 
as  he  hugged  his  knees  with  his  hands,  and  kept  his  eyes 
fastened  on  the  tempting  display  of  good  things  before  him, 
it  would  have  been  a  very  hard-hearted  man  who  would  not 
have  given  him  something.  But  Mr.  Job  Lord,  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  booth,  was  a  hard-hearted  man,  and  he  did  not 
make  the  slightest  advance  toward  offering  the  little  fellow 
anything. 

Toby  rocked  himself  silentiy  for  a  moment,  and  then  he 
said,  hesitatingly,  "  I  don't  suppose  you'd  like  to  sell  me 
some  things,  au'  let  me  pay  you  when  I  get  older,  would 
you?" 

Mr.  Lord  shook  his  head  decidedly  at  this  proposition. 

"  I  didn't  s'pose  you  would,"  said  Toby,  quickly ;  "  but 
you  didn't  seem  to  be  selling  anything,  an'  I  thought  I'd 
just  see  what  you'd  say  about  it."  And  then  he  appeared 
suddenly  to  see  something  wonderfully  interesting  behind 
him,  which  served  as  an  excuse  to  turn  his  reddening  face 
away. 


1 6  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

"  I  suppose  your  uncle  Daniel  makes  you  work  for  your 
living,  don't  he  ?"  asked  Mr.  Lord,  after  he  had  rearranged 
his  stock  of  candy,  and  had  added  a  couple  of  slices  of 
lemon -peel  to  what  was  popularly  supposed  to  be  lem- 
onade. 

"  That's  what  I  think ;  but  he  says  that  all  the  work  I  do 
wouldn't  pay  for  the  meal  that  one  chicken  would  eat,  an' 
I  s'pose  it's  so,  for  I  don't  like  to  work  as  well  as  a  feller 
without  any  father  and  mother  ought  to.  I  don't  know 
why  it  is,  but  I  guess  it's  because  I  take  up  so  much  time 
eatin'  that  it  kinder  tires  me  out.  I  s'pose  you  go  into  the 
circus  whenever  you  want  to,  don't  you  ?" 

"  Oh  yes ;  I'm  there  at  every  performance,  for  I  keep  the 
stand  under  the  big  canvas  as  well  as  this  one  out  here." 

There  was  a  great  big  sigh  f  rom  out  Toby's  little  round 
stomach,  as  he  thought  what  bliss  it  must  be  to  own  all 
those  good  things,  and  to  see  the  circus  wherever  it  went. 
"  It  must  be  nice,"  he  said,  as  he  faced  the  booth  and  its 
hard-visaged  proprietor  once  more. 

"  How  would  you  like  it  ?"  asked  Mr.  Lord,  patronizingly, 
as  he  looked  Toby  over  in  a  business  way,  very  much  as  if 
he  contemplated  purchasing  him. 

"  Like  it !"  echoed  Toby ;  "  why,  I'd  grow  fat  on  it." 

"I  don't  know  as  that  would  be  any  advantage,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Lord,  reflectively,  "  for  it  strikes  me  that  you're 


Ten  Weeks  with,  a  Circus.  17 

about  as  fat  now  as  a  boy  of  your  age  ought  to  be.  But 
I've  a  great  mind  to  give  you  a  chance." 

"  What !"  cried  Toby,  in  amazement,  and  his  eyes  opened 
to  their  widest  extent,  as  this  possible  opportunity  of  lead- 
ing a  delightful  life  presented  itself. 

"Yes,  I've  a  great  mind  to  give  you  the  chance.  You 
see,"  and  now  it  was  Mr.  Lord's  turn  to  grow  confidential, 
"  I've  had  a  boy  with  me  this  season,  but  he  cleared  out  at 
the  last  town,  and  I'm  running  the  business  alone  now." 

Toby's  face  expressed  all  the  contempt  he  felt  for  the 
boy  who  would  run  away  from  such  a  glorious  life  as  Mr. 
Lord's  assistant  must  lead ;  but  he  said  not  a  word,  waiting 
in  breathless  expectation  for  the  offer  which  he  now  felt 
certain  would  be  made  him. 

"  Now  I  ain't  hard  on  a  boy,"  continued  Mr.  Lord,  still 
confidentially,  "  and  yet  that  one  seemed  to  think  that  he 
was  treated  worse  and  made  to  work  harder  than  any  boy 
in  the  world." 

"  He  ought  to  live  with  Uncle  Dan'l  a  week,"  said  Toby, 
eagerly. 

"Here  I  was  just  like  a  father  to  him,"  said  Mr.  Lord, 
paying  no  attention  to  the  interruption,  "and  I  gave  him 
his  board  and  lodging,  and  a  dollar  a  week  besides." 

"  Could  he  do  what  he  wanted  to  with  the  dollar  ?" 

"  Of  course  he  could.     1  never  checked  him,  no  matter 


1 8  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

how  extravagant  he  was,  an'  yet  I've  seen  him  spend  his 
whole  week's  wages  at  this  very  stand  in  one  afternoon. 
And  even  after  his  money  had  all  gone  that  way,  I've  paid 
for  peppermint  and  ginger  out  of  my  own  pocket  just  to 
cure  his  stomach-ache." 

Toby  shook  his  head  mournfully,  as  if  deploring  that  de- 
pravity which  could  cause  a  boy  to  run  away  from  such  a 
tender-hearted  employer,  and  from  such  a  desirable  position. 
But  even  as  he  shook  his  head  so  sadly  he  looked  wistfully 
at  the  pea-nuts,  and  Mr.  Lord  observed  the  look. 

It  may  have  been  that  Mr.  Job  Lord  was  the  tender- 
hearted man  he  prided  himself  upon  being,  or  it  may  have 
been  that  he  wished  to  purchase  Toby's  sympathy ;  but,  at 
all  events,  he  gave  him  a  large  handful  of  nuts,  and  Toby 
never  bothered  his  little  round  head  as  to  what  motive 
prompted  the  gift.  Now  he  could  listen  to  the  story  of  the 
boy's  treachery  and  eat  at  the  same  time ;  therefore  he  was 
an  attentive  listener. 

"All  in  the  world  that  boy  had  to  do,"  continued  Mr. 
Lord,  in  the  same  injured  tone  he  had  previously  used, 
"  was  to  help  me  set  things  to  rights  when  we  struck  a  town 
in  the  morning,  and  then  tend  to  the  counter  till  we  left  the 
town  at  night,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  time  he  had  to  him- 
self. Yet  that  boy  was  ungrateful  enough  to  run  awaye'? 

Mr.  Lord  paused,  as  if  expecting  some  expression  of  sym- 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  19 

pathy  from  his  listener;  but  Toby  was  so  busily  engaged 
with  his  unexpected  feast,  and  his  mouth  was  so  full,  that  it 
did  not  seem  even  possible  for  him  to  shake  his  head. 

"  Now  what  should  you  say  if  I  told  you  that  you  looked 
to  me  like  a  boy  that  was  made  especially  to  help  run  a 
candy  counter  at  a  circus,  and  if  I  offered  the  place  to 
you?" 

Toby  made  one  frantic  effort  to  swallow  the  very  large 
mouthful,  and  in  a  choking  voice  he  answered,  quickly, 
"I  should  say  I'd  go  witli  you,  an'  be  mighty  glad  of  the 
chance." 

"  Then  it's  a  bargain,  my  boy3  ana  you  shall  leave  town 
with  me  to-night." 


CHAPTER  II. 

TOBY  RUNS  AWAY  FROM  HOME. 

OBY  could  scarcely  restrain  himself  at  the  pros 
pect  of  this  golden  future  that  had   so  suddenly 
opened  before  him.     He  tried  to  express  his  grati- 
tude, but  could  only  do  so  by  evincing  his  willing- 
ness to  commence  work  at  once. 

"  No,  no,  that  won't  do,"  said  Mr.  Lord,  cautiously.  "  If 
your  uncle  Daniel  should  see  you  working  here,  he  might 
mistrust  something,  and  then  you  couldn't  get  away." 

"  I  don't  believe  he'd  try  to  stop  me,"  said  Toby,  confi- 
dently ;  "  for  he's  told  me  lots  of  times  that  it  was  a  sorry 
day  for  him  when  he  found  me." 

"  We  won't  take  any  chances,  my  son,"  was  the  reply,  in  a 
very  benevolent  tone,  as  he  patted  Toby  on  the  head,  and  at 
the  same  time  handed  him  a  piece  of  pasteboard.  "  There's 
a  ticket  for  the  circus,  and  you  come  around  to  see  me 
about  ten  o'clock  to-night.  I'll  put  you  on  one  of  the  wag- 
ons, and  by  to-morrow  morning  your  uncle  Daniel  will  have 
hard  work  to  find  you." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  21 

If  Toby  had  followed  his  inclinations,  the  chances  are 
that  he  would  have  fallen  on  his  knees,  and  kissed  Mr. 
Lord's  hands  in  the  excess  of  his  gratitude.  But  not  know- 
ing exactly  how  such  a  show  of  thankfulness  might  be  re- 
ceived, he  contented  himself  by  repeatedly  promising  that 
he  would  be  punctual  to  the  time  and  place  appointed. 

He  would  have  loitered  in  the  vicinity  of  the  candy  stand 
in  order  that  he  might  gain  some  insight  into  the  business ; 
but  Mr.  Lord  advised  that  he  remain  away,  lest  his  uncle 
Daniel  should  see  him,  and  suspect  where  he  had  gone  when 
he  was  missed  in  the  morning. 

As  Toby  walked  around  the  circus  grounds,  whereon  was 
so  much  to  attract  his  attention,  he  could  not  prevent  him- 
self from  assuming  an  air  of  proprietorship.  His  interest  in 
all  that  was  going  on  was  redoubled,  and  in  his  anxiety  that 
everything  should  be  done  correctly  and  in  the  proper  order 
he  actually,  and  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  forgot 
that  he  was  hungry.  He  was  really  to  travel  with  a  circus, 
to  become  a  part,  as  it  were,  of  the  whole,  and  to  be  able  to 
see  its  many  wonderful  and  beautiful  attractions  every  day. 

Even  the  very  tent  ropes  had  acquired  a  new  interest  for 
him,  and  the  faces  of  the  men  at  work  seemed  suddenly  to 
have  become  those  of  friends.  How  hard  it  was  for  him  to 
walk  around  unconcernedly:  and  how  especially  hard  to 
prevent  his  feet  from  straying  toward  that  tempting  display 


22  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

of  dainties  which  he  was  to  sell  to  those  who  came  to  see 
and  enjoy,  and  who  would  look  at  him  with  wonder  and 
curiosity !  It  was  very  hard  not  to  be  allowed  to  tell  his 
playmates  of  his  wonderfully  good  fortune;  but  silence 
meant  success,  and  he  locked  his  secret  in  his  bosom,  not 
even  daring  to  talk  with  any  one  he  knew,  lest  he  should 
betray  himself  by  some  incautious  word. 

He  did  not  go  home  to  dinner  that  day,  and  once  or  twice 
he  felt  impelled  to  walk  past  the  candy  stand,  giving  a  mys- 
terious shake  of  the  head  at  the  proprietor  as  he  did  so. 
The  afternoon  performance  passed  off  as  usual  to  all  of  the 
spectators  save  Toby.  He  imagined  that  each  one  of  the 
performers  knew  that  he  was  about  to  join  them ;  and  even 
as  he  passed  the  cage  containing  the  monkeys  he  fancied 
that  one  particularly  old  one  knew  all  about  his  intention  of 
running  away. 

Of  course  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  go  home  at  the 
close  of  the  afternoon's  performance,  in  order  to  get  one  or 
two  valuable  articles  of  his  own — such  as  a  boat,  a  kite,  and 
a  pair  of  skates — and  in  order  that  his  actions  might  not 
seem  suspicious.  Before  he  left  the  grounds,  however,  he 
stole  slyly  around  to  the  candy  stand,  and  informed  Mr.  Job 
Lord,  in  a  very  hoarse  whisper,  that  he  would  be  on  hand  at 
the  time  appointed. 

Mr.  Lord  patted  him  on  tl^e  head,  gave  him  two  laro-e 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  23 

sticks  of  candy,  and,  what  was  more  kind  and  surprising, 
considering  the  fact  that  he  wore  glasses,  and  was  cross- 
eyed, he  winked  at  Toby.  A  wink  from  Mr.  Lord  must 
have  been  intended  to  convey  a  great  deal,  because,  owing 
to  the  defect  in  his  eyes,  it  required  no  little  exertion,  and 
even  then  could  not  be  considered  as  a  really  first-class 
wink. 

That  wink,  distorted  as  it  was,  gladdened  Toby's  heart 
immensely,  and  took  away  nearly  all  the  sting  of  the  scold- 
ing with  which  Uncle  Daniel  greeted  him  when  he  reached 
home. 

That  night — despite  the  fact  that  he  was  going  to  travel 
with  the  circus,  despite  the  fact  that  his  home  was  not  a 
happy  or  cheerful  one — Toby  was  not  in  a  pleasant  frame 
of  mind.  He  began  to  feel  for  the  first  time  that  he  was 
doing  wrong;  and  as  he  gazed  at  Uncle  Daniel's  stern,  for- 
bidding-looking face,  it  seemed  to  have  changed  somewhat 
from  its  severity,  and  caused  a  great  lump  of  something  to 
come  up  in  his  throi.«  as  he  thought  that  perhaps  he  should 
never  see  it  again.  Just  then  one  or  two  kind  words  would 
have  prevented  him  from  running  away,  bright  as  the  pros- 
pect of  circus  life  appeared. 

It  was  almost  impossible  for  him  to  eat  anything,  and 
this  very  surprising  state  of  affairs  attracted  the  attention 
of  Uncle  Daniel. 


24  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

"  Bless  my  heart !  what  ails  the  boy  ?"  asked  the  old  man, 
as  he  peered  over  his  glasses  at  Toby's  well-filled  plata 
which  was  usually  emptied  so  quickly.  "  Are  ye  sick,  Toby, 
or  what  is  the  matter  with  ye  ?" 

"  No,  I  hain't  sick,"  said  Toby,  with  a  sigh ;  "  but  I've 
been  to  the  circus,  an'  I  got  a  good  deal  to  eat." 

"  Oho,  you  spent  that  cent  I  give  ye,  eh,  an'  got  so  much 
that  it  made  ye  sick  ?'? 

Toby  thought  of  the  six  pea-nuts  which  he  had  bought 
with  the  penny  Uncle  Daniel  had  given  him ;  and,  amid 
all  his  homesickness,  he  could  not  help  wondering  if  Uncle 
Daniel  ever  made  himself  sick  with  only  six  pea-nuts  when 
he  was  a  boy. 

As  no  one  paid  any  further  attention  to  Toby,  he  pushed 
back  his  plate,  arose  from  the  table,  and  went  with  a  heavy 
heart  to  attend  to  his  regular  evening  chores.  The  cow,  the 
hens,  and  even  the  pigs,  came  in  for  a  share  of  his  unusu- 
ally kind  attention ;  and  as  he  fed  them  all  the  big  tears 
rolled  down  his  cheeks,  as  he  thought  that  perhaps  never 
again  would  he  see  any  of  them.  These  dumb  animals  had 
all  been  Toby's  confidants ;  he  had  poured  out  his  griefs  in 
their  ears,  and  fancied,  when  the  world  or  Uncle  Daniel  had 
used  him  unusually  hard,  that  they  sympathized  with  him. 
Now  he  was  leaving  them  forever,  and  as  he  locked  the 
stable  door  he  could  hear  the  sounds  of  music  corning  from 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  25 

the  direction  of  the  circus  grounds,  and  he  was  angry  at  it, 
because  it  represented  that  which  was  taking  him  away  from 
his  home,  even  though  it  was  not  as  pleasant  as  it  might 
have  been. 

Still,  he  had  no  thought  of  breaking  the  engagement 
which  he  had  made.  He  went  to  his  room,  made  a  bundle 
of  his  worldly  possessions,  and  crept  out  of  the  back  door, 
down  the  road  to  the  circus. 

Mr.  Lord  saw  him  as  soon  as  he  arrived  on  the  grounds, 
and  as  he  passed  another  ticket  to  Toby  he  took  his  bundle 
from  him,  saying,  as  he  did  so,  "  I'll  pack  up  your  bundle 
with  my  things,  and  then  you'll  be  sure  not  to  lose  it.  Don't 
you  want  some  candy?" 

Toby  shook  his  head;  he  had  just  discovered  that  there 
was  possibly  some  connection  between  his  heart  and  his 
stomach,  for  his  grief  at  leaving  home  had  taken  from  him 
all  desire  for  good  things.  It  is  also  more  than  possible 
that  Mr.  Lord  had  had  experience  enough  with  boys  to  know 
that  they  might  be  homesick  on  the  eve  of  starting  to  travel 
with  a  circus;  and  in  order  to  make  sure  that  Toby  would 
keep  to  his  engagement  he  was  unusually  kind. 

That  evening  was  the  longest  Toby  ever  knew.  He  wan- 
dered from  one  cage  of  animals  to  another ;  then  to  see  the 
performance  in  the  ring,  and  back  again  to  the  animals,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  passing  the  time  pleasantly.  But  it  was  of 


26  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

no  use ;  that  lump  in  Ms  throat  would  remain  tnere,  and  the 
thoughts  of  what  he  was  about  to  do  would  trouble  him  se- 
verely. The  performance  failed  to  interest  him,  and  the 
animals  did  not  attract  until  he  had  visited  the  monkey-cage 
for  the  third  or  fourth  time.  Then  he  fancied  that  the  sama 
venerable  monkey  who  had  looked  so  knowing  in  the  after- 
noon was  gazing  at  him  with  a  sadness  which  could  only 
have  come  from  a  thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  grief  and 
doubt  that  was  in  his  heart. 

There  was  no  one  around  the  cages,  and  Toby  got  just  as 
near  to  the  iron  bars  as  possible.  No  sooner  had  he  flat- 
tened his  little  pug-nose  against  the  iron  than  the  aged  mon- 
key came  down  from  the  ring  in  which  he  had  been  swing- 
ing, and,  seating  himself  directly  in  front  of  Toby's  face, 
looked  at  him  most  compassionately. 

It  would  not  have  surprised  the  boy  just  then  if  the  ani- 
mal had  spoken ;  but  as  he  did  not,  Toby  did  the  next  bes* 
thing,  and  spoke  to  him. 

"  I  s'pose  you  remember  that  you  saw  me  this  afternoon, 
an'  somebody  told  you  that  I  was  goin'  to  join  the  circus, 
didn't  they  ?" 

The  monkey  made  no  reply,  though  Toby  fancied  that  he 
winked  an  affirmative  answer;  and  he  looked  so  sympa- 
thetic that  he  continued,  confidentially, 

"  Well,  I'm  the  same  feller,  an'  I  don't  mind  telling  you 


TOBY    AND    HIS    NEW    FRIEND. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  29 

that  I'm  awfully  sorry  I  promised  that  candy  man  I'd  go 
with  him.  Do  you  know  that  I  came  near  crying  at  the 
supper  table  to-night ;  an'  Uncle  Dan'l  looked  real  good  an' 
nice,  though  I  never  thought  so  before.  I  wish  I  wasn't 
goin',  after  all,  'cause  it  don't  seem  a  bit  like  a  good  time 
now ;  but  I  s'pose  I  must,  'cause  I  promised  to,  an'  'cause 
the  candy  man  has  got  all  my  things." 

The  big  tears  had  begun  to  roll  down  Toby's  cheeks,  and 
as  he  ceased  speaking  the  monkey  reached  out  one  little 
paw,  which  Toby  took  as  earnestly  as  if  it  had  been  done 
purposely  to  console  him. 

"  You're  real  good,  you  are,"  continued  Toby ;  "  an'  I 
hope  I  shall  see  you  real  often,  for  it  seems  to  me  now, 
when  there  hain't  any  folks  around,  as  if  you  was  the  only 
friend  I've  got  in  this  great  big  world.  It's  awful  when  a 
feller  feels  the  way  I  do,  an'  when  he  don't  seem  to  want 
anything  to  eat.  Now  if  you'll  stick  to  me,  I'll  stick  to  you, 
an'  then  it  won't  be  half  so  bad  when  we  feel  this  way." 

During  this  speech  Toby  had  still  clung  to  the  little 
brown  paw,  which  the  monkey  now  withdrew,  and  contin- 
ned  to  gaze  into  the  boy's  face. 

"  The  fellers  all  say  I  don't  amount  to  anything,"  sobbed 
Toby, "  an'  Uncle  Dan'l  says  I  don't,  an'  I  s'pose  they  know ; 
but  I  tell  you  I  feel  just  as  bad,  now  that  I'm  goin'  awa? 
from  them  all.  as  if  I  was  as  good  as  any  of  them." 


30  Toby  Tyler 

At  this  moment  Toby  saw  Mr,  Lord  enter  the  tent,  and 
he  knew  that  the  summons  to  start  was  about  to  be  given. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said  to  the  monkey,  as  he  vainly  tried  to 
take  him  by  the  hand  again ;  "  remember  what  I've  told 
you,  an'  don't  forget  that  Toby  Tyler  is  feelin'  worse  to- 
night than  if  he  was  twice  as  big  an'  twice  as  good." 

Mr.  Lord  had  come  to  summon  him  away,  and  he  now 
told  Toby  that  he  would  show  him  with  which  man  he  was 
to  ride  that  night. 

Toby  looked  another  good-bye  at  the  venerable  monkey, 
who  was  watching  him  closely,  and  then  followed  his  em- 
ployer out  of  the  tent,  among  the  ropes  and  poles  and  gen- 
eral confusion  attendant  upon  the  removal  of  a  circus  from 
one  place  to  another. 


CHAPTER  HX 

THE    NIGHT    RIDE, 

HE  wagon  on  which  Mr.  Lord  was  to  send  his 
new-found  employe  was,  by  the  most  singular 
chance,  the  one  containing  the  monkeys,  and  Toby 
accepted  this  as  a  good  omen.  He  would  be  near 
his  venerable  friend  all  night,  and  there  was  some  consola- 
tion in  that.  The  driver  instructed  the  boy  to  watch  his 
movements,  and  when  he  saw  him  leading  his  horses  around, 
"  to  look  lively,  and  be  on  hand,  for  he  never  waited  for  any 
one." 

Toby  not  only  promised  to  do  as  ordered,  but  he  followed 
the  driver  around  so  closely  that,  had  he  desired,  he  could 
not  have  rid  himself  of  his  little  companion. 

The  scene  which  presented  itself  to  Toby's  view  was 
strange  and  weird  in  the  extreme.  Shortly  after  he  had 
attached  himself  to  the  man  with  whom  he  was  to  ride,  the 
performance  was  over,  and  the  work  of  putting  the  show 
and  its  belongings  into  such  a  shape  as  could  be  conveyed 
from  one  town  to  another  was  soon  in  active  operatioc, 


3^  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

Toby  forgot  his  grief,  forgot  that  he  was  running  away 
from  the  only  home  he  had  ever  known  —  in  fact,  forgot 
everything  concerning  himself — so  interested  was  he  in  that 
which  was  going  on  about  him. 

As  soon  as  the  audience  had  got  out  of  the  tent  —  and 
ilmost  before — the  work  of  taking  down  the  canvas  was 
Degun. 

Torches  were  stuck  in  the  earth  at  regular  intervals,  the 
lights  that  had  shone  so  brilliantly  in  and  around  the  ring 
had  been  extinguished,  the  canvas  sides  had  been  taken 
off,  and  the  boards  that  had  formed  the  seats  were  being 
packed  into  one  of  the  carts  with  a  rattling  sound  that 
seemed  as  if  a  regular  fusillade  of  musketry  was  being  in- 
dulged in.  Men  were  shouting;  horses  were  being  driven 
hither  and  thither,  harnessed  to  the  wagons,  or  drawing 
the  huge  carts  away  as  soon  as  they  were  loaded ;  and  ev- 
erything seemed  in  the  greatest  state  of  confusion,  while 
really  the  work  was  being  done  in  the  most  systematic 
manner  possible. 

Toby  had  not  long  to  wait  before  the  driver  informed 
him  that  the  time  for  starting  had  arrived,  and  assisted  him 
to  climb  up  to  the  narrow  seat  whereon  he  was  to  ride  that 
night. 

The  scene  was  so  exciting,  and  his  efforts  to  stick  to  the 
narrow  seat  so  great,  that  he  really  had  no  time  to  attend 


TOBY  S    FIRST    NIGHT    RIDE. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  35 

to  the  homesick  feeling  that  had  crept  over  him  during  the 
first  part  of  the  evening. 

The  long  procession  of  carts  and  wagons  drove  slowly  out 
of  the  town,  and  when  the  last  familiar  house  had  been 
passed  the  driver  spoke  to  Toby  for  the  first  time  since  they 
started. 

"  Pretty  hard  work  to  keep  on— eh,  sonny  V 
"  Yes,"  replied  the  boy>  as  the  wagon  jolted  over  a  rock, 
bouncing  him  high  in  air,  and  he,  by  strenuous  efforts,  bare- 
ly succeeded  in  alighting  on  the  sea  again, "  it  is  pretty  hard 
work ;  an'  my  name's  Toby  Tyler." 

Toby  heard  a  queer  sound  that  seemed  to  come  from  the 
man's  throat,  and  for  a  few  moments  he  feared  that  his 
companion  was  choking.     But  he  soon  understood  that  this 
was  simply  an  attempt  to  laugh,  and  he  at  once  decided  that 
it  was  a  very  poor  styJa  of  laugMng. 
"  So  you  object  to  being  called  sonny,  do  you  f* 
"  Well,  I'd  rather  be  called  Toby,  for,  you  see,  that's  my 


name." 


"  All  right,  my  boy ;  well  call  you  Toby.  1  suppose  you 
thought  it  was  a  mighty  fine  tbing  to  run  away  an*  jine  a 
circus,  didn't  you  3" 

Toby  started  in  affright,  looked  around  cautiously,  and 
then  tried  to  peer  down  through  the  small  square  aperture, 
guarded  by  iron  rods,  that  opened  into  the  cage  just  back 


36  Toby   Tyler ;  or, 

of  the  seat  they  were  sitting  on.  Then  he  turned  slowly 
around  to  the  driver,  and  asked,  in  a  voice  sunk  to  a  whis- 
per, "How  did  you  know  that  I  was  runnin'  away?  Did 
he  tell  you?"  and  Toby  motioned  with  his  thumb  as  if  he 
were  pointing  out  some  one  behind  him. 

It  was  the  driver's  turn  now  to  look  around  in  search  of 
the  "  he  "  referred  to  by  Toby. 

"  Who  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  the  man,  impatiently. 

"  Why,  the  old  feller  ;  the  one  in  the  cart  there.  I  think 
he  knew  I  was  runnin'  away,  though  he  didn't  say  anything 
about  it;  but  he  looked  just  as  if  he  did." 

The  driver  looked  at  Toby  in  perfect  amazement  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  as  if  suddenly  understanding  the  boy,  re- 
lapsed into  one  of  those  convulsive  efforts  that  caused  the 
blood  to  rush  up  into  his  face,  '^nd  gave  him  every  appear- 
ance of  having  a  fit. 

"You  must  mean  one  of  the  monkeys,"  said  the  driver, 
after  he  had  recovered  his  breath,  which  had  been  almost 
shaken  out  of  his  body  by  the  silent  laughter  "  So  you 
thought  a  monkey  had  told  me  what  any  fool  could  have 
seen  if  he  had  watched  you  for  five  minutes." 

"Well,"  said  Toby,  slowly,  as  if  he  feared  he  might  pro- 
voke one  of  those  terrible  laughing  spells  again,  "I  saw 
him  to-night,  an'  he  looked  as  if  he  knew  what  1  was 
doin' ;  so  I  up  an'  told  him,  an'  I  didn't  know  but  he'd  told 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  37 

you,  though  he  didn't  look  to  me  like  a  feller  that  would 
be  mean." 

There  was  another  internal  shaking  on  the  part  of  the 
driver,  which  Toby  did  not  fear  so  much,  since  he  was  get 
ting  accustomed  to  it,  and  then  the  man  said, "  Well,  you 
are  the  queerest  little  cove  I  ever  saw." 

"  I  s'pose  I  am,"  was  the  reply,  accompanied  by  a  long- 
drawn  sigh.  "  I  don't  seem  to  amount  to  so  much  as  the 
other  fellers  do,  an'  I  guess  it's  because  I'm  always  hungry; 
you  see,  I  eat  awful,  Uncle  Dan'l  says." 

The  only  reply  which  the  driver  made  to  this  plaintive 
confession  was  to  put  his  hand  down  into  the  deepest  re- 
cesses of  one  of  his  deep  pockets,,  and  to  draw  therefrom  a 
huge  doughnut,  which  he  handed  to  his  companion. 

Toby  was  so  much  at  his  ease  by  this  time  that  the  appe- 
tite which  had  failed  him  at  supper  had  now  returned  in 
full  force,  and  he  devoured  the  doughnut  in  a  most  raven- 
ous manner. 

"  You're  too  small  to  eat  so  fast,"  said  the  man,  in  a  warn- 
ing tone,  as  the  last  morsel  of  the  greasy  sweetness  disap- 
peared, and  he  fished  up  another  for  the  boy.  "  Some  time 
you'll  get  hold  of  one  of  the  India-rubber  doughnuts  that 
they  feed  to  circus  people,  an'  choke  yourself  to  death." 

Toby  shook  his  head,  and  devoured  this  second  cake  2^ 
quickly  as  he  had  the  first,  craning  his  neck,  and  uttering 


38  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

a  funny  little  squeak  as  the  last  bit  went  down,  just  as  a 
chicken  does  when  he  gets  too  large  a  mouthful  of  dough. 

"I'll  never  choke,"  he  said,  confidently:  "I'm  used  to  it; 
and  Uncle  Dan5!  says  I  could  eat  a  pair  of  boots  an'  never 
Hrink  at  'em ;  but  I  don't  just  believe  that.55 

As  the  driver  made  no  reply  to  this  remark  Toby  curled 
himself  up  on  one  corner  of  the  seat,  and  watched  with  no 
little  interest  all  that  was  passing  on  around  him.  Each 
of  the  wagons  had  a  lantern  fastened  to  the  hind  axle,  and 
these  lights  could  be  seen  far  ahead  on  the  road,  as  if  a 
party  ot  fire-flies  had  started  in  single  file  on  an  excursion. 
The  trees  by  the  side  of  tha  road  stood  out  weird  and  ghost- 
ly-looking  in  the  darkness,  and  the  rumble  of  the  carts 
ahead  and  behind  formed  a  musical  accompaniment  to  the 
picture  that  sounded  strangely  dolef  uL 

Mile  after  mile  was  passed  over  in  perfect  silence,  save 
now  and  then  when  the  driver  would  whistle  a  few  bars  of 
some  very  dismal  tune  that  would  fairly  make  Toby  shiver 
with  its  mournfulness.  Eighteen  miles  was  the  distance 
from  Guilford  to  the  town  where  the  next  performance  of 
the  circus  was  to  be  given,  and  as  Toby  thought  of  the  ride 
before  them  it  seemed  as  if  the  time  would  be  almost  inter- 
minable. He  curled  himself  up  on  one  corner  of  the  seat, 
and  tried  very  hard  to  go  to  sleep ;  bat  just  as  his  eyes  be- 
gan to  grow  heavy  the  wagon  would  jolt  over  some  rock  of 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  39 

sink  deep  in  some  rut  till  Toby,  the  breath  very  nearly 
shaken  out  of  his  body,  and  his  neck  almost  dislocated, 
would  sit  bolt-upright,  clinging  to  the  seat  with  both  hands, 
as  if  he  expected  each  moment  to  be  pitched  out  into  the 
mud. 

The  driver  watched  him  closely,  and  each  time  that  he 
saw  him  shaken  up  and  awakened  so  thoroughly  he  would 
indulge  in  one  of  his  silent  laughing  spells,  until  Toby 
would  wonder  whether  he  would  ever  recover  from  it.  Sev- 
eral times  had  Tooy  been  awakened,  and  each  time  he  had 
seen  the  amusement  his  sufferings  caused,  until  he  finally 
resolved  to  put  an  end  to  the  sport  by  keeping  awake. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?"  he  asked  of  the  driver,  thinking 
a  conversation  would  be  the  best  way  to  rouse  himself  into 
wakefulness. 

"Waal,"  said  the  driver,  as  he  gathered  the  reins  care- 
fully in  one  hand,  and  seemed  to  be  debating  in  his  mind 
how  he  should  answer  the  question,  "  I  don't  know  as  I 
know  myself,  it's  been  so  long  since  I've  heard  it." 

Toby  was  wide  enough  awake  now,  as  this  rather  singular 
problem  was  forced  upon  his  mind.  He  revolved  the  mat- 
ter silently  for  some  moments,  and  at  last  he  asked,  "  What 
do  folks  call  you  when  they  want  to  speak  to  you  ?" 

u  They  always  call  me  Old  Ben,  an'  I've  got  so  used  to  the 
name  that  I  don't  need  any  other." 


4O  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Toby  wanted  very  much  to  ask  more  questions,  but  he 
wisely  concluded  that  it  would  not  be  agreeable  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"  I'll  ask  the  old  man  about  it,"  said  Toby  to  himself, 
referring  to  the  aged  monkey,  whom  he  seemed  to  feel 
acquainted  with ;  "  he  most  likely  knows,  if  he'll  say  any- 
thing." After  this  the  conversation  ceased,  until  Toby  again 
ventured  to  suggest,  "  It's  a  pretty  long  drive,  hain't  it  ?" 

"  You  want  to  wait  till  you've  been  in  this  business  a  year 
or  two,"  said  Ben,  sagely, "  an'  then  you  won't  think  much 
of  it.  Why,  I've  known  the  show  towns  to  be  thirty  miles 
apart,  an'  them  was  the  times  when  we  had  lively  work  of 
it ;  riding  all  night  and  working  all  day  kind  of  wears  on  a 
fellow." 

"  Yes,  I  s'pose  so,"  said  Toby,  with  a  sigh,  as  he  wondered 
whether  he  had  got  to  work  as  hard  as  that ;  "  but  I  s'pose 
you  get  all  you  want  to  eat,  don't  you  ?" 

"Now  you've  struck  it!"  said  Ben,  with  the  a;  of  one 
about  to  impart  a  world  of  wisdom,  as  he  crossed  one  leg 
over  the  other,  that  his  position  might  be  as  comfortable  as 
possible  while  he  was  initiating  his  young  companion  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  life.  "I've  had  all  the  boys  ride  with 
ine  since  I've  been  with  this  show,  an'  I've  tried  to  start 
them  right;  but  they  didn't  seem  to  profit  by  it,  an'  always 
got  sick  of  the  show  an'  run  away,  just  because  they  didn't 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  41 

look  out  for  themselves  as  they  ought  to.  Now  listen  to  me, 
Toby,  an'  remember  what  I  say.  You  see  they  put  us  all 
in  a  hotel  together,  an'  some  of  these  places  where  we  go 
don't  have  any  too  much  stuff  on  the  table.  Whenever  we 
strike  a  new  town  you  find  out  at  the  hotel  what  time  they 
have  the  grub  ready,  an'  you  be  on  hand,  so's  to  get  in  with 
the  first.  Eat  all  you  can,  an'  fill  your  pockets." 

"  If  that's  all  a  feller  has  to  do  to  travel  with  a  circus," 
said  Toby, "  I'm  just  the  one,  'cause  I  always  used  to  do  just 
that  when  I  hadn't  any  idea  of  bein'  a  circus  man." 

"  Then  you'll  get  along  all  right,"  said  Ben,  as  he  checked 
the  speed  of  his  horses,  and,  looking  carefully  ahead,  said, 
as  he  guided  his  team  to  one  side  of  the  road,  "  This  is  as 
far  as  we're  going  to-night." 

Toby  learned  that  they  were  within  a  couple  of  miles  of 
the  town,  and  that  the  entire  procession  would  remain  by 
the  roadside  until  time  to  make  the  grand  entree  into  the 
village,  when  every  wagon,  horse,  and  man  would  be  decked 
out  in  the  most  gorgeous  array,  as  they  had  been  when  they 
entered  Guilford. 

Under  Ben's  direction  he  wrapped  himself  in  an  old 
horse-blanket,  and  lay  down  on  the  top  of  the  wagon ;  and 
he  was  so  tired  from  the  excitement  of  the  day  and  night, 
that  he  had  hardly  stretched  out  at  full  length  before  he 
was  fast  asleep. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FIRST  DAY  WITH  THE  CIRCUS. 


Toby  awakened  and  looked  around  he 
could  hardly  realize  where  he  was  or  how  he  came 
there.  As  far  ahead  and  behind  on  the  road  as  he 
could  see  the  carts  were  drawn  up  on  one  side  ; 
men  were  hurrying  to  and  fro,  orders  were  being  shouted, 
and  everything  showed  that  the  entry  into  the  town  was 
about  to  be  made.  Directly  opposite  the  wagon  on  which 
he  had  been  sleeping  were  the  four  elephants  and  two 
camels,  and  close  behind,  contentedly  munching  their  break- 
fasts, were  a  number  of  tiny  ponies.  Troops  of  horses  were 
being  groomed  and  attended  to  ;  the  road  was  littered  with 
saddles,  flags,  and  general  decorations,  until  it  seemed  to 
Toby  that  there  must  have  been  a  smash-up,  and  that  he 
now  beheld  ruins  rather  than  systematic  disorder. 

How  different  everything  looked  now,  compared  "to  the 
time  when  the  cavalcade  marched  into  Guilford,  dazzling 
every  one  with  the  gorgeous  display!  Then  the  horses 
pranced  gayly  under  their  gaudy  decorations,  the  wagons 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  43 

were  bright  with  glass,  gilt,  and  flags,  the  lumbering  ele- 
phants and  awkward  camels  were  covered  with  fancifully 
embroidered  velvets,  and  even  the  drivers  of  the  wagons 
were  resplendent  in  their  uniforms  of  scarlet  and  gold. 
Now,  in  the  gray  light  of  the  early  morning,  everything  was 
changed.  The  horses  were  tired  and  muddy,  and  wore  old 
and  dirty  harness;  the  gilded  chariots  were  covered  with 
mud -bespattered  canvas,  which  caused  them  to  look  like  the 
most  ordinary  of  market  wagons ;  the  elephants  and  camels 
looked  dingy,  dirty,  almost  repulsive ;  and  the  drivers  were 
only  a  sleepy-looking  set  of  men,  who,  in  their  shirt-sleeves, 
were  getting  ready  for  the  change  which  would  dazzle  the 
eyes  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town. 

Toby  descended  from  his  lofty  bed,  rubbed  his  eyes  tr 
thoroughly  awaken  himself,  and  under  the  guidance  of  Beu 
went  to  a  little  brook  near  by  and  washed  his  face.  He  had 
been  with  the  circus  not  quite  ten  hours,  but  now  he  could 
not  realize  that  it  had  ever  seemed  bright  and  beautiful. 
He  missed  his  comfortable  bed,  the  quiet  and  cleanliness, 
and  the  well-spread  table;  even  although  he  had  felt  the 
lack  of  parents'  care,  Uncle  Daniel's  home  seemed  the  very 
abode  of  love  and  friendly  feeling  compared  to  this  condi- 
tion, where  no  one  appeared  to  care  even  enough  for  him  to 
scold  at  him.  He  was  thoroughly  homesick,  and  heartily 
wished  that  he  was  back  in  his  old  native  town. 


44  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

While  he  was  washing  his  face  in  the  brook  he  saw  some 
of  the  boys  who  had  come  out  from  the  town  to  catch  the 
first  glimpse  of  the  circus,  and  he  saw  at  once  that  he  was 
the  object  of  their  admiring  gaze.  He  heard  one  of  the 
boys  say,  when  they  first  discovered  him, 

"  There's  one  of  them,  an'  he's  only  a  little  feller ;  so  I'm 
going  to  talk  to  him." 

The  evident  admiration  which  the  boys  had  for  Toby 
pleased  him,  and  this  pleasure  was  the  only  drop  of  comfort 
he  had  had  since  he  started.  He  hoped  they  would  come 
and  talk  with  him ;  and,  that  they  might  have  the  opportu- 
nity, he  was  purposely  slow  in  making  his  toilet. 

The  boys  approached  him  shyly,  as  if  they  had  their 
doubts  whether  he  was  made  of  the  same  material  as  them- 
selves, and  when  they  got  quite  near  to  him,  and  satisfied 
themselves  that  he  was  only  washing  his  face  in  much 
the  same  way  that  any  well-regulated  boy  would  do,  the 
one  who  had  called  attention  to  him  said,  half  timidly, 
"Hello!" 

"  Hello !"  responded  Toby,  in  a  tone  that  was  meant  to 
invite  confidence. 

"  Do  you  belong  to  the  circus  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Toby,  a  little  doubtfully. 

Then  the  boys  stared  at  him  again  as  if  he  were  one 
of  the  strange-looking  animals,  and  the  one  who  had  been 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  45 

the  spokesman  drew  a  long  breath  of  envy  as  he  said,  long- 
ingly, "  My !  what  a  nice  time  you  must  have  !" 

Toby  remembered  that  only  yesterday  he  himself  had 
thought  that  boys  must  have  a  nice  time  with  a  circus,  and 
he  now  felt  what  a  mistake  that  thought  was;  but  he  con- 
eluded  that  he  would  not  undeceive  his  new  acquaintance. 

"  And  do  they  give  you  frogs  to  eat,  so's  to  make  you 
limber?" 

This  was  the  first  time  that  Toby  had  thought  of  break- 
fast, and  the  very  mention  of  eating  made  him  hungry.  He 
was  just  at  that  moment  so  very  hungry  that  he  did  not 
think  he  was  replying  to  the  question  when  he  said,  quick- 
ly, "  Eat  frogs !  I  could  eat  anything,  if  I  only  had  the 
chance." 

The  boys  took  this  as  an  answer  to  their  question,  and 
felt  perfectly  convinced  that  the  agility  of  circus  riders  and 
tumblers  depended  upon  the  quantity  of  frogs  eaten,  and 
they  looked  upon  Toby  with  no  little  degree  of  awe. 

Toby  might  have  undeceived  them  as  to  the  kind  of  food 
he  ate,  but  just  at  that  moment  the  harsh  voice  of  Mr.  Job 
Lord  was  heard  calling  him,  and  he  hurried  away  to  com- 
mence his  first  day's  work. 

Toby's  employer  was  not  the  same  pleasant,  kindly-spoken 
man  that  he  had  been  during  the  time  they  were  in  Guil- 
ford,  and  before  the  boy  was  absolutely  under  his  control. 


46  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

He  looked  cross,  he  acted  cross,  and  it  did  not  take  the  boy 
very  long  to  find  out  that  he  was  very  cross. 

He  scolded  Toby  roundly,  and  launched  more  oaths  at 
his  defenceless  head  than  Toby  had  ever  heard  in  his 
life.  He  was  angry  that  the  boy  had  not  been  on  hand 
to  help  him,  and  also  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  hunt  for 
him. 

Toby  tried  to  explain  that  he  had  no  idea  of  what  he  was 
expected  to  do,  and  that  he  had  been  on  the  wagon  to  which 
he  had  been  sent,  only  leaving.it  to  wash  his  face;  but  the 
angry  man  grew  still  more  furious. 

"  Went  to  wash  your  face,  did  yer  ?  Want  to  set  yourself 
up  for  a  dandy,  I  suppose,  and  think  that  you  must  souse 
that  speckled  face  of  yours  into  every  brook  you  come  to  ? 
I'll  soon  break  you  of  that;  and  the  sooner  you  understand 
that  I  can't  afford  to  have  you  wasting  your  time  in  wash- 
ing, the  better  it  will  be  for  you." 

Toby  now  grew  angry,  and  not  realizing  how  wholly  he 
was  in  the  man's  power,  he  retorted,  "If  you  think  I'm 
going  round  with  a  dirty  face,  even  if  it  is  speckled,  for  a 
dollar  a  week,  you're  mistaken,  that's  all.  How  many  folks 
would  eat  your  candy  if  they  knew  you  handled  it  over  be- 
fore you  washed  your  hands  ?" 

"  Oho !  I've  picked  up  a  preacher,  have  I  ?  Now,  I  want 
you  to  understand,  my  bantam,  that  I  do  all  the  preaching 


OI.D   BliN    COMES   TO   THE    RESCUK. 


Ten  Weefcs  with  a  Circus.  49 

as  well  as  the  practising  myself,  and  this  is  about  as  quick 
a  way  as  I  know  of  to  make  you  understand  it." 

As  the  man  spoke  he  grasped  the  boy  by  the  coat-collar 
with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  plied  a  thin  rubber  cane 
with  no  gentle  force  to  every  portion  of  Toby's  body  that 
he  could  reach. 

Every  blow  caused  the  poor  boy  the  most  intense  pain ; 
but  he  determined  that  his  tormentor  should  not  have  the 
satisfaction  of  forcing  an  outcry  from  him,  and  he  closed 
his  lips  so  tightly  that  not  a  single  sound  could  escape  from 
them. 

This  very  silence  enraged  the  man  so  much  that  he  re- 
doubled the  force  and  rapidity  of  his  blows,  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  what  might  have  been  the  consequences  had 
not  Ben  come  that  way  just  then,  and  changed  the  aspect  of 
affairs. 

"  Up  to  your  old  tricks  of  whipping  the  boys,  are  you, 
Job  ?"  he  said,  as  he  wrested  the  cane  from  the  man's  hand 
and  held  him  off  at  arm's-length,  to  prevent  him  from  doing 
Toby  more  mischief. 

Mr.  Lord  struggled  to  release  himself,  and  insisted  that, 
since  the  boy  was  in  his  employ,  he  should  do  with  him  just 
as  he  saw  fit. 

"Now  look  here,  Mr.  Lord."  said  Bon.  as  gravely  as  if  he 
was  delivering  some  profound  piece  of  wisdom,  "  I've  never 


50  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

interfered  with  you  before ;  but  now  I'm  going  to  stop 
game  of  thrashing  your  boy  every  morning  before  break- 
fast. You  just  tell  this  youngster  what  you  want  him  to  do, 
and  if  he  don't  do  it  you  can  discharge  him.  If  I  hear  of 
your  flogging  him,  I  shall  attend  to  your  case  at  once.  You 
hear  me  ?" 

Ben  shook  the  now  terrified  candy  vender  much  as  if  he 
had  been  a  child,  and  then  released  him,  saying  to  Toby  as 
he  did  so,  "Now,  my  boy,  you  attend  to  your  business  as 
you  ought  to,  and  I'll  settle  his  account  if  he  tries  the  flog- 
ging game  again." 

"  You  see,  I  don't  know  what  there  is  for  me  to  do,"  sob- 
bed Toby,  for  the  kindly  interference  of  Ben  had  made  him 
show  more  feeling  than  Mr.  Lord's  blows  had  done. 

"  Tell  him  what  he  must  do,"  said  Ben,  sternly. 

"I  want  him  to  go  to  work  and  wash  the  tumblers,  and 
fix  up  the  things  in  that  green  box,  so  we  can  commence  to 
sell  as  soon  as  we  get  into  town,"  snarled  Mr.  Lord,  as  he 
motioned  toward  a  large  green  chest  that  had  been  taken 
out  of  one  of  the  carts,  and  which  Toby  saw  was  filled  with 
dirty  glasses,  spoons,  knives,  and  other  utensils  such  as  were 
necessary  to  carry  on  the  business. 

Toby  got  a  pail  of  water  from  the  brook,  hunted  around 
and  found  towels  and  soap,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  work 
with  such  industry  that  Mr.  Lord  could  not  repress  a  grunt 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  51 

of  satisfaction  as  he  passed  him,  however  angry  he  felt  be- 
cause he  could  not  administer  the  whipping  which  would 
have  smoothed  his  ruffled  temper. 

By  the  time  the  procession  was  ready  to  start  for  the 
town  Toby  had  as  much  of  his  work  done  as  he  could  find 
that  it  was  necessary  to  do,  and  his  master,  in  his  surly  way, 
half  acknowledged  that  this  last  boy  of  his  was  better  than 
any  he  had  had  before. 

Although  Toby  had  done  his  work  so  well  he  was  far 
from  feeling  happy;  he  was  both  angry  and  sad  as  he 
thought  of  the  cruel  blows  that  had  been  inflicted,  and  he 
had  plenty  of  leisure  to  repent  of  the  rash  step  he  had 
taken,  although  he  could  not  see  very  clearly  how  he  was  to 
get  away  from  it.  He  thought  that  he  could  not  go  back  to 
Guilford,  for  Uncle  Daniel  would  not  allow  him  to  come  to 
his  house  again ;  and  the  hot  scalding  tears  ran  down  his 
cheeks  as  he  realized  that  he  was  homeless  and  friendless  in 
this  great  big  world. 

It  was  while  he  was  in  this  frame  of  mind  that  the  pro- 
cession, all  gaudy  with  flags,  streamers,  and  banners,  entered 
the  town.  Under  different  circumstances  this  would  have 
been  a  most  delightful  day  for  him,  for  the  entrance  of  a 
circus  into  Guilford  had  always  been  a  source  of  one  day's 
solid  enjoyment ;  but  now  he  was  the  most  disconsolate  and 
unhappy  boy  in  all  that  crowd. 


52  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

lie  did  not  ride  throughout  the  entire  route  of  the  pro- 
cession, for  Mr.  Lord  was  anxious  to  begin  business,  and  the 
moment  the  tenting  ground  was  reached  the  wagon  contain- 
ing Mr.  Lord's  goods  was  driven  into  the  enclosure,  and 
Toby's  day's  work  began. 

He  was  obliged  to  bring  water,  to  cut  up  the  lemons,  fetch 
and  carry  fruit  from  the  booth  in  the  big  tent  to  the  booth 
on  the  outside,  until  he  was  ready  to  drop  with  fatigue,  and 
having  had  no  time  for  breakfast,  was  nearly  famished. 

It  was  quite  noon  before  he  was  permitted  to  go  to  the 
hotel  for  something  to  eat,  and  then  Ben's  advice  to  be  one 
of  the  first  to  get  to  the  tables  was  not  needed. 

In  the  eating  line  that  day  he  astonished  the  servants,  the 
members  of  the  company,  and  even  himself,  and  by  the  time 
he  arose  from  the  table,  with  both  pockets  and  his  stomach 
full  to  bursting,  the  tables  had  been  set  and  cleared  away 
twice  while  he  was  making  one  meal. 

"  Well,  I  guess  you  didn't  hurry  yourself  much,"  said  Mr. 
Lord,  when  Toby  returned  to  the  circus  ground. 

"Oh  yes,  I  did,"  was  Toby's  innocent  reply :  "I  ate  just 
as  fast  as  I  could ;"  and  a  satisfied  smile  stole  over  the  boy's 
face  as  he  thought  of  the  amount  of  solid  food  he  had  con- 
sumed. 

The  answer  was  not  one  which  was  calculated  to  make 
Mr.  Lord  feel  any  more  agreeably  disposed  toward  his  new 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  53 

clerk,  and  he  showed  his  ill-temper  very  plainly  as  he  said, 
"  It  must  take  a  good  deal  to  satisfy  you." 

"  I  s'pose  it  does,"  calmly  replied  Toby.  "  Sam  Merrill 
used  to  say  that  I  took  after  Aunt  Olive  and  Uncle  Dan'l." 
one  ate  a  good  while,  an'  the  other  ate  awful  fast." 

Toby  could  not  understand  what  it  was  that  Mr.  Lord  said 
in  reply,  but  he  could  understand  that  his  employer  was 
angry  at  somebody  or  something,  and  he  tried  unusually 
hard  to  please  him.  He  talked  to  the  boys  who  had  gath- 
ered around,  to  induce  them  to  buy,  washed  the  glasses  as 
fast  as  they  were  used,  tried  to  keep  off  the  flies,  and  in 
every  way  he  could  think  of  endeavored  to  please  his 
master. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  COUNTERFEIT  TEN-CENT  PIECE. 


the  doors  of  the  big  tent  were  opened,  and 
the  people  began  to  crowd  in,  just  as  Toby  had 
seen  them  do  at  Guilford,  Mr.  Lord  announced  to 
his  young  clerk  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  go  into 
the  tent  to  work.  Then  it  was  that  Toby  learned  for  the 
first  time  that  he  had  two  masters  instead  of  one,  and  this 
knowledge  caused  him  no  little  uneasiness.  If  the  other 
one  was  anything  like  Mr.  Lord,  his  lot  would  be  just  twice 
as  bad,  and  he  began  to  wonder  whether  he  could  even 
stand  it  one  day  longer. 

As  the  boy  passed  through  the  tent  on  his  way  to  the 
candy  stand,  where  he  was  really  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
for  which  he  had  run  away  from  home,  he  wanted  to  stop 
for  a  moment  and  speak  with  the  old  monkey  who  he 
thought  had  taken  such  an  interest  in  him.  But  when  he 
reached  the  cage  in  which  his  friend  was  confined,  there 
was  such  a  crowd  around  it  that  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  get  near  enough  to  speak  without  being  overheard. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  55 

This  was  such  a  disappointment  to  the  little  fellow  that 
the  big  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  in  another  instant 
would  have  gone  rolling  down  his  cheeks  if  his  aged  friend 
had  not  chanced  to  look  toward  him.  Toby  fancied  that 
the  monkey  looked  at  him  in  the  most  friendly  way,  and 
then  he  was  certain  that  he  winked  one  eye.  Toby  felt 
that  there  was  no  mistake  about  that  wink,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  it  was  intended  to  convey  comfort  to  him  in  his  troubles. 
He  winked  back  at  the  monkey  in  the  most  emphatic  and 
grave  manner  possible,  and  then  went  on  his  way,  feeling 
wonderfully  comforted. 

The  work  inside  the  tent  was  far  different  and  much 
harder  than  it  was  outside.  He  was  obliged  to  carry  around 
among  the  audience  trays  of  candy,  nuts,  and  lemonade  for 
sale,  and  he  was  also  expected  to  cry  aloud  the  description 
of  that  which  he  offered.  The  partner  of  Mr.  Lord,  who  had 
charge  of  the  stand  inside  the  tent,  showed  himself  to  be 
neither  better  nor  worse  than  Mr.  Lord  himself.  When  Toby 
lirst  presented  himself  for  work  he  handed  him  a  tray  fill- 
ed with  glasses  of  lemonade,  and  told  him  to  go  among  the 
audience,  crying,  "Here's  your  nice  cold  lemonade,  only 
five  cents  a  glass !" 

Toby  started  to  do  as  he  was  bidden ;  but  when  he  tried 
to  repeat  the  words  in  anything  like  a  loud  tone  of  voice 
they  stuck  in  his  throat,  and  he  found  it  next  to  impossible 


56  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

to  utter  a  sound  above  a  whisper.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
every  one  in  the  audience  was  looking  only  at  him,  and  the 
very  sound  of  his  own  voice  made  him  afraid. 

He  went  entirely  around  the  tent  once  without  making  a 
sale,  and  when  he  returned  to  the  stand  he  was  at  once  con- 
vinced that  one  of  his  masters  was  quite  as  bad  as  the  other. 
This  one — and  he  knew  that  his  name  was  Jacobs,  for  he 
heard  some  one  call  him  so — very  kindly  told  him  that  he 
would  break  every  bone  in  his  body  if  he  didn't  sell  some- 
thing, and  Toby  confidently  believed  that  he  would  carry 
out  his  threat. 

It  was  with  a  very  heavy  heart  that  he  started  around 
again  in  obedience  to  Mr.  Jacobs's  angry  command ;  but 
this  time  he  did  manage  to  cry  out,  in  a  very  thin  and  very 
squeaky  voice,  the  words  which  he  had  been  told  to  repeat. 

This  time  —  perhaps  owing  to  his  pitiful  and  imploring 
look,  certainly  not  because  of  the  noise  he  made — he  met 
with  very  good  luck,  and  sold  every  glass  of  the  mixture 
which  Messrs.  Lord  and  Jacobs  called  lemonade,  and  went 
back  to  the  stand  for  more. 

He  certainly  thought  he  had  earned  a  word  of  praise,  and 
fully  expected  it  as  he  put  the  empty  glasses  and  money  on 
the  stand  in  front  of  Mr.  Jacobs.  But,  instead  of  the  kind 
words,  he  was  greeted  with  a  volley  of  curses ;  and  the  rea- 
son for  it  was  that  he  had  taken  in  payment  for  two  of  the 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  57 

glasses  a  lead  ten -cent  piece.  Mr.  Jacobs,  after  scolding 
poor  little  Toby  to  his  heart's  content,  vowed  that  the 
amount  should  be  kept  from  his  first  week's  wages,  and 
then  handed  back  the  coin,  with  orders  to  give  it  to  the  first 
man  who  gave  him  money  to  change,  under  the  penalty  of 
a  severe  flogging  if  he  failed  to  do  so. 

Poor  Toby  tried  to  explain  matters  by  saying,  "You 
see,  I  don't  know  anything  about  money ;  I  never  had 
more'n  a  cent  at  a  time,  an'  you  mustn't  expect  me  to  get 
posted  all  at  once." 

"  I'll  post  you  with  a  stick  if  you  do  it  again ;  an'  it  won't 
be  well  for  you  if  you  bring  that  ten-cent  piece  back  here !" 

Now,  Toby  was  very  well  aware  that  to  pass  the  coin, 
knowing  it  to  be  bad,  would  be  a  crime,  and  he  resolved  to 
take  the  consequences  of  which  Mr.  Jacobs  had  intimated, 
if  he  could  not  find  the  one  who  had  given  him  the  coun- 
terfeit, and  persuade  him  to  give  him  good  money  in  its 
stead.  He  remembered  very  plainly  where  he  had  sold 
each  glass  of  lemonade,  and  he  retraced  his  steps,  glancing 
at  each  face  carefully  as  he  passed.  At  last  he  was  con- 
fident that  he  saw  the  man  who  had  gotten  him  into  such 
trouble,  and  he  climbed  up  the  board  seats,  saying,  as  he 
stood  in  front  of  him  and  held  out  the  coin, "  Mister,  this 
money  that  you  gave  me  is  bad.  Won't  you  give  rae  an 
other  one  for  it  ?" 


58  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

The  man  was  a  rough-looking  party  who  had  taken  his 
girl  to  the  circus,  and  who  did  not  seem  at  all  disposed  to 
pay  any  heed  to  Toby's  request.  Therefore  he  repeated  it, 
and  this  time  more  loudly. 

"  Get  out  the  way !"  said  the  man,  angrily.  "  How  can  you 
expect  me  to  see  the  show  if  you  stand  right  in  front  of  me  ?" 

"You'll  like  it  better,"  said  Toby,  earnestly,  "if  you 
give  me  another  ten-cent  piece." 

"  Get  out,  an'  don't  bother  me !"  was  the  angry  rejoinder ; 
and  the  little  fellow  began  to  think  that  perhaps  he  would 
be  obliged  to  "  get  out "  without  getting  his  money. 

It  was  becoming  a  desperate  case,  for  the  man  was  grow- 
ing angry  very  fast,  and  if  Toby  did  not  succeed  in  getting 
good  money  for  the  bad,  he  would  have  to  take  the  conse- 
quences of  which  Mr.  Jacobs  had  spoken. 

"  Please,  mister,"  he  said,  imploringly — for  his  heart  be- 
gan to  grow  very  heavy,  and  he  was  fearing  that  he  should 
not  succeed — "  won't  you  please  give  me  the  money  back  ? 
You  know  you  gave  it  to  me,  an'  I'll  have  to  pay  it  if  you 
don't." 

The  boy's  lip  was  quivering,  and  those  around  began  to 
be  interested  in  the  affair,  while  several  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  gave  vent  to  their  indignation  that  a  man  should 
try  to  cheat  a  boy  out  of  ten  cents  by  giving  him  counter- 
feit money. 


"WON'T  YOU  PLEASE  GIVE  ME  THE  MONEY 


Ten  Weeks  'with  a  Circus.  61 

The  man  whom  Toby  was  speaking  to  was  about  to  dis- 
miss him  with  an  angry  reply,  when  he  saw  that  those  about 
him  were  not  only  interested  in  the  matter,  but  were  evi- 
dently taking  sides  with  the  boy  against  him ;  and  knowing 
well  that  he  had  given  the  counterfeit  money,  he  took  an- 
other coin  from  his  pocket,  and  handing  it  to  Toby,  said, 
"  I  didn't  give  you  the  lead  piece ;  but  you're  making  such 
a  fuss  about  it  that  here's  ten  cents  to  make  you  keep 
quiet." 

"  I'm  sure  you  did  give  me  the  money,"  said  Toby,  as  he 
took  the  extended  coin, "  an'  I'm  much  obliged  to  you  for 
takin'  it  back.  I  didn't  want  to  tell  you  before,  'cause 
you'd  thought  I  was  beggin' ;  but  if  you  hadn't  given  me 
this,  I  'xpect  I'd  have  got  an  awful  whippin',  for  Mr.  Ja 
cobs  said  he'd  fix  me  if  I  didn't  get  the  money  for  it" 

The  man  looked  sheepish  enough  as  he  put  the  bad  mon- 
ey in  his  pocket,  and  Toby's  innocently  told  story  caused 
such  a  feeling  in  his  behalf  among  those  who  sat  near  that 
he  not  only  disposed  of  his  entire  stock  then  and  there,  but 
received  from  one  gentleman  twenty-five  cents  for  himself. 
He  was  both  proud  and  happy  as  he  returned  to  Mr.  Ja- 
cobs with  empty  glasses,  and  with  the  money  to  refund 
the  amount  of  loss  which  would  have  been  caused  by  the 
counterfeit. 

But  the  worthy  partner  of  Mr.  Lord's  candy  business  had 
s 


6£  Toby  Tyler ;  <?/s 

no  words  of  encouragement  for  the  boy  who  was  trying  so 
hard  to  please. 

"Let  that  make  you  keep  your  eyes  open,"  he  growled 
out,  sulkily ;  "  an'  if  you  get  caught  in  that  trap  again,  you 
won't  be  let  off  so  easy." 

Poor  little  Toby  1  his  heart  seemed  ready  to  break ;  but 
his  few  hours'  previous  experience  had  taught  him  that 
there  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  was  to  work  just  as 
hard  as  possible,  trusting  to  some  good  fortune  to  enable 
him  to  get  out  of  the  very  disagreeable  position  in  which 
he  had  voluntarily  placed  himself. 

He  took  the  basket  of  candy  that  Mr.  Jacobs  handed 
him,  and  trudged  around  the  circle  of  seats,  selling  far 
more  because  of  the  pitifulness  of  his  face  than  because 
of  the  excellence  of  his  goods;  and  even  this  worked  to 
his  disadvantage.  Mr.  Jacobs  was  keen  enough  to  see 
why  his  little  clerk  sold  so  many  goods,  and  each  time 
that  he  returned  to  the  stand  he  said  something  to  him 
in  an  angry  tone,  which  had  the  effect  of  deepening  the 
shadow  on  the  boy's  face  and  at  the  same  time  increasing 
trade. 

By  the  time  the  performance  was  over  Toby  had  in  his 
pocket  a  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  which  had  been  given 
him  for  himself  by  some  of  the  kind-hearted  in  the  audi- 
ence, and  he  kept  his  hand  almost  constantly  upon  it,  for 


Ten  Week*  with  a  Circus*  63 

the  money  seemed  to  him  like  some  kind  friend  who  would 
help  him  out  of  his  present  difficulties,, 

After  the  audience  had  dispersed,  Mr.  Jacobs  set  Toby 
at  work  washing  the  glasses  and  clearing  up  generally,  and 
then  the  boy  started  toward  the  other  portion  of  the  store 
—that  watched  over  by  Mr.  Lord.  Not  a  person  save  the 
watchmen  was  in  the  tent,  and  as  Toby  went  toward  the 
door  he  saw  his  friend  the  monkey  sitting  in  one  corner  of 
the  cage,  and  apparently  watching  his  every  movement 

It  was  as  if  he  had  suddenly  seen  one  of  the  boys  from 
home,  and  Toby,  uttering  an  exclamation  of  delight,  ran  up 
to  the  cage  and  put  his  hand  through  the  wires* 

The  monkey,  in  the  gravest  possible  manner,  took  one  of 
the  fingers  in  his  paw,  and  Toby  shook  hands  with  him  very 
earnestly. 

"I  was  sorry  that  1  couldn't  speak  to  you  when  I  went 
in  this  noon,"  said  Toby,  as  if  making  an  apology ;  "  but, 
you  see,  there  were  so  many  around  here  to  see  you  that  I 
couldn't  get  the  chance,  Did  you  see  me  wink  at  you?" 

The  monkey  made  no  reply,  but  he  twisted  his  face  into 
such  a  funny  little  grimace  that  Toby  was  quite  as  well  sat- 
isfied as  if  he  had  spoken. 

"  I  wonder  if  you  hain't  some  relation  to  Steve  Stubbs  ?" 
Toby  continued, earnestly, "for  you  look  just  like  him, only 
he  don't  have  quite  so  many  whiskers.  What  I  wanted  to 


64  Toby  Tyler ;  or* 

say  was,  that  Fm  awful  sorry  I  run  away.  I  used  to  think 
that  Uncle  Dan'l  was  bad  enough;  but  he  was  just  a  per- 
fect good  Samarathon  to  what  Mr.  Lord  an'  Mr.  Jacobs  are ; 
an'  when  Mr.  Lord  looks  at  me  with  that  crooked  eye  of 
his,  I  feel  it  'way  down  in  my  boots.  Do  you  know  " — and 
here  Toby  put  his  mouth  nearer  to  the  monkey's  head  and 
whispered — "I'd  run  away  from  this  circus  if  I  could  get 
the  chance ;  wouldn't  you  ?" 

Just  at  this  point,  as  if  in  answer  to  the  question,  the 
monkey  stood  up  on  his  hind-feet,  and  reached  out  his  paw 
to  the  boy,  who  seemed  to  think  this  was  his  way  of  being 
more  emphatic  in  saying  "  Yes." 

Toby  took  the  paw  in  his  hand,  shook  it  again  earnestly, 
and  said,  as  he  released  it,  "I  was  pretty  sure  you  felt  just 
about  the  same  way  I  did,  Mr.  Stubbs,  when  I  passed  you 
this  noon.  Look  here  " — and  Toby  took  the  money  from  his 
pocket  which  had  been  given  him — "  I  got  all  that  this  af- 
ternoon, an'  I'll  try  an'  stick  it  out  somehow  till  I  get  as 
much  as  ten  dollars,  an'  then  we'll  run  away  some  night,  an' 
go  'way  off  as  far  as — as — as  out  West ;  an'  we'll  stay  there 
too." 

The  monkey,  probably  tired  with  remaining  in  one  posi- 
tion so  long,  started  toward  the  top  of  the  cage,  chattering 
and  screaming,  joining  the  other  monkeys,  who  h?d  gath 
sred  in  a  little  group  in  one  of  the  s wings. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  6$ 

"Now  see  here,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Toby,  in  alarm,  "you 
mustn't  go  to  telling  everybody  about  it,  or  Mr.  Lord  will 
know,  an'  then  we'll  be  dished,  sure." 

The  monkey  sat  quietly  in  the  swing,  as  if  he  felt  re- 
proved by  what  the  boy  had  said ;  and  Toby,  considerably 
relieved  by  his  silence,  said,  as  he  started  toward  the  door, 
"  That's  right  —  mum's  the  word ;  you  keep  quiet,  an'  so 
will  I,  an'  pretty  soon  we'll  get  away  from  the  whole 
crowd." 

All  the  monkeys  chattered ;  and  Toby,  believing  that 
everything  which  he  had  said  had  been  understood  by  the 
animals,  went  out  of  the  door  to  meet  his  other  task- 
master 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  TENDER-HEARTED  SKELETON. 

'OW,  then,  lazy-bones,"  was  Mr.  Lord's  warning 
cry  as  Toby  came  out  of  the  tent,  "if  you've 
fooled  away  enough  of  your  time,  you  can  come 
here  an'  tend  shop  for  me  while  I  go  to  supper. 
You  crammed  yourself  this  noon,  an'  it'll  teach  you  a  good 
lesson  to  make  you  go  without  anything  to  eat  to-night ;  it'll 
make  you  move  round  more  lively  in  future." 

Instead  of  becoming  accustomed  to  such  treatment  as  he 
was  receiving  from  his  employers,  Toby's  heart  grew  more 
tender  with  each  brutal  word,  and  this  last  punishment — 
that  of  losing  his  supper — caused  the  poor  boy  more  sorrow 
than  blows  would.  Mr.  Lord  started  for  the  hotel  as  he  con- 
cluded his  cruel  speech ;  and  poor  little  Toby,  going  behind 
the  counter,  leaned  his  head  upon  the  rough  boards  and 
cried  as  if  his  heart  would  break. 

All  the  fancied  brightness  and  pleasure  of  a  circus  life 
had  vanished,  and  in  its  place  was  the  bitterness  of  remorse 
that  he  had  repaid  Uncle  Daniel's  kindness  by  the  ingrati- 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  67 

tnde  of  running  away.  Toby  thought  that  if  he  could  only 
nestle  his  little  red  head  on  the  pillows  of  his  little  bed  in 
that  rough  room  at  Uncle  Daniel's,  he  would  be  the  hap- 
piest and  best  boy,  in  the  future,  in  all  the  great  wide  world. 

While  he  was  still  sobbing  away  at  a  most  furious  rate  he 
heard  a  voice  close  at  his  elbow,  and,  looking  up,  saw  the 
thinnest  man  he  had  ever  seen  in  all  his  life.  The  man  had 
flesh-colored  tights  on,  and  a  spangled  red  velvet  garment — 
that  was  neither  pants,  because  there  were  no  legs  to  it,  nor 
a  coat,  because  it  did  not  come  above  his  waist — made  up 
the  remainder  of  his  costume.  Because  he  was  so  wonder- 
fully thin,  because  of  the  costume  which  he  wore,  and  be- 
cause of  a  highly  colored  painting  which  was  hanging  in 
front  of  one  of  the  small  tents,  Toby  knew  that  the  Living 
Skeleton  was  before  him,  and  his  big  brown  eyes  opened  all 
the  wider  as  he  gazed  at  him. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  little  fellow  2"  asked  the  man,  in  a 
kindly  tone.  "  What  makes  you  cry  so  ?  Has  Job  been  up 
to  his  old  tricks  again  1" 

"  I  don't  know  what  his  old  tricks  are  "—and  Toby  sob- 
bed, the  tears  coming  again  because  of  the  sympathy  which 
this  man's  voice  expressed  for  him — "  but  I  know  that  he's 
a  mean,  ugly  thing — that's  what  I  know ;  an'  if  I  could  only 
get  back  to  Uncle  Dan'l,  there  hain't  elephants  enough  in 
all  the  circuses  in  the  world  to  pull  me  away  again." 


68  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

"  Ol ,  you  run  away  from  home,  did  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  sobbed  Toby,  "  an'  there  hain't  any  boy  in 
any  Sunday-school  book  that  ever  I  read  that  was  half  so 
'sorry  he'd  been  bad  as  I  am.  It's  awful;  an'  now  I  can't 
have  any  supper,  'cause  I  stopped  to  talk  with  Mr.  Stubbs." 

"  Is  Mr.  Stubbs  one  of  your  friends  ?"  asked  the  skeleton 
as  he  seated  himself  in  Mr.  Lord's  own  private  chair. 

"  Yes,  he  is,  an'  he's  the  only  one  in  this  whole  circus  who 
;pears  to  be  sorry  for  me.  You'd  better  not  let  Mr.  Lord  see 
you  sittin'  in  that  chair,  or  he'll  raise  a  row." 

"  Job  won't  raise  any  row  with  me,"  said  the  skeleton. 
"  But  who  is  this  Mr.  Stubbs  ?  I  don't  seem  to  know  any- 
body by  that  name." 

"  I  don't  think  that  is  his  name.  1  only  call  him  so, 
'cause  he  looks  so  much  like  a  feller  I  know  who  is  named 
Stubbs." 

This  satisfied  tne  skeleton  that  this  Mr.  Stubbs  must  be 
some  one  attached  to  the  show,  and  he  asked, 

"  Has  Job  been  whipping  you  ?" 

"  No ;  Ben,  the  driver  on  the  wagon  where  I  ride,  told  him 
not  to  do  that  again ;  but  he  hain't  going  to  let  me  have 
any  supper,  'cause  I  was  so  slow  about  my  work — though  I 
wasn't  slow ;  I  only  talked  to  Mr.  Stubbs  when  there  wasn't 
anybody  round  his  cage." 

"Sam!  Sam!  Sam-u-el!" 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  69 

This  name,  which  was  shouted  twice  in  a  quick,  loud 
voice,  and  the  third  time  in  a  slow  manner,  ending  almost 
in  a  screech,  did  not  come  from  either  Toby  or  the  skeleton, 
but  from  an  enormously  large  woman,  dressed  in  a  gaudy 
red-and-black  dress,  cut  very  short,  and  with  low  neck  and 
an  apolog}7  for  sleeves,  who  had  just  come  out  from  the  tent 
whereon  the  picture  of  the  Living  Skeleton  hung. 

"Samuel/'  she  screamed  again,  "come  inside  this  minute, 
or  you'll  catch  your  death  o'  cold,  an'  I  shall  have  you 
wheezin'  around  with  the  phthisic  all  night.  Come  in, 
Sam-u-el." 

"  That's  her,"  said  the  skeleton  to  Toby,  as  lie  pointed  his 
thumb  in  the  direction  of  the  fnt  woman,  but  paying  no  at- 
tention to  the  outcry  she  was  making — "  that's  my  wife  Lilly, 
an'  she's  the  Fat  Woman  of  the  show.  She's  always  yellin' 
after  me  that  way  the  minute  I  get  out  for  a  ^ittle  fresh  air, 
an'  she's  always  sayin'  just  the  same  thing.  Bless  you,  I 
never  have  the  phthisic,  but  she  does  awful;  an'  I  s'pose 
'cause  she's  so  large  she  can't  feel  all  over  her,  an'  thinks  it's 
me  that  has  it." 

"  Is — is  all  that — is  that  your  wife  ?"  stammered  Toby,  in 
astonishment,  as  he  looked  at  the  enormously  fat  woman 
who  stood  in  the  tent  door,  and  then  at  the  wonderfully 
thin  man  who  sat  beside  him. 

"Yes,  that's  her,"  said  the  skeleton.     "She  weighs  pretty 


70  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

nigh  four  hundred,  though  of  course  the  show  cards  says  it's 
over  six  hundred,  an'  she  earns  almost  as  much  money  as  I 
do.  Of  course  she  can't  get  so  much,  for  skeletons  is  much 
scarcer  than  fat  folks;  but  we  make  a  pretty  good  thing 
travellin'  together." 

"  Sam-u-el !"  again  came  the  cry  from  the  fat  woman, 
"  are  you  never  coming  in  ?" 

"Not  yet,  my  angel,"  said  the  skeleton,  placidly,  as  he 
crossed  one  thin  leg  over  the  other  and  looked  calmly  at 
her.  "  Come  here  an'  see  Job's  new  boy." 

"  Your  imprudence  is  wearin'  me  away  so  that  I  sha'n't 
be  worth  five  dollars  a  week  to  any  circus,"  she  said,  impa- 
tiently, at  the  same  time  corning  toward  the  candy  stand 
quite  as  rapidly  as  her  very  great  size  would  admit. 

"  This  is  my  wife  Lilly — Mrs.  Treat,"  said  the  skeleton, 
with  a  proud  wave  of  his  hand,  as  he  rose  from  his  seat  and 
gazed  admiringly  at  her.  "This  is  my  flower — my  queen, 
Mr.— Mr.—" 

"  Tyler,"  said  Toby,  supplying  the  name  which  the  skel- 
eton— or  Mr.  Treat,  as  Toby  now  learned  his  name  was — 
did  not  know ;  "  Tyler  is  my  name — Toby  Tyler." 

"  Why,  what  a  little  chap  you  are  !"  said  Mrs.  Treat, 
paying  no  attention  to  the  awkward  little  bend  of  the 
head  which  Toby  intended  for  a  bow.  "  How  small  he  is, 
Samuel!" 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  71 

"  Yes,"  said  the  skeleton,  reflectively,  as  he  looked  Toby 
over  from  head  to  foot,  as  if  he  were  mentally  trying  to 
calculate  exactly  how  many  inches  high  he  was,  "he  is 
small ;  but  he's  got  all  the  world  before  him  to  grow  in,  an' 
if  he  only  eats  enough —  There,  that  reminds  rne.  Job 
isn't  going  to  give  him  any  supper,  because  he  didn't  work 
hard  enough." 

"  He  won't,  won't  he  ?"  exclaimed  the  large  lady,  savagely. 
"Oh,  he's  a  precious  one,  he  is;  an'  some  day  I  shall  just 
give  him  a  good  shakin'-up,  that's  what  I'll  do.  I  get  all 
out  of  patience  with  that  man's  ugliness." 

"  An'  she'll  do  just  what  she  says,"  said  the  skeleton  to 
Toby,  with  an  admiring  shake  of  the  head.  "  That  woman 
hain't  afraid  of  anybody,  an'  I  wouldn't  be  a  bit  surprised  if 
she  did  give  Job  a  pretty  rough  time." 

Toby  thought,  as  he  looked  at  her,  that  she  was  large 
enough  to  give  'most  any  one  a  pretty  rough  time,  but  he 
did  not  venture  to  say  so.  While  he  was  looking  first  at  her, 
and  then  at  her  very  thin  husband,  the  skeleton  told  his  wife 
the  little  that  he  had  learned  regarding  the  boy's  history ; 
and  when  he  had  concluded  she  waddled  away  toward  her 
tent. 

"  Great  woman  that,"  said  the  skeleton,  as  he  saw  her  dis 
appear  within  the  tent. 

"  Yes,"  said  Toby,  "  she's  the  greatest  I  ever  saw." 


72  Toby  Tyler ;  ort 

"I  mean  that  she's  got  a  great  head.  Now  you'll  see 
about  how  much  she  cares  for  what  Job  says." 

"  If  I  was  as  big  as  her,"  said  Toby,  with  just  a  shade  of 
envy  in  his  voice,  "  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  of  anybody." 

"It  hain't  so  much  the  size,"  said  the  skeleton,  sagely— 
'•'  it  hain't  so  much  the  size,  my  boy ;  for  I  can  scare  that 
woman  almost  to  death  when  I  feel  like  it." 

Toby  looked  for  a  moment  at  Mr.  Treat's  thin  legs  and 
arms,  and  then  he  said,  warniugly,  "  I.  wouldn't  feel  like  it 
very  often  if  I  was  yon,  Mr.  Treat,  'cause  she  might  break 
some  of  your  bones  if  you  didn't  happen  to  scare  her 
enough." 

"  Don't  fear  for  me,  my  boy — don't  fear  for  me ;  you'll 
see  how  I  manage  her  if  you  stay  with  the  circus  long 
enough.  Now,  I  often— 

If  Mr.  Treat  was  about  to  confide  a  family  secret  to  Toby, 
it  was  fated  that  he  should  not  hear  it  then,  for  Mrs.  Treat 
had  just  come  out  of  her  tent,  carrying  in  her  hands  a  large 
tin  plate  piled  high  with  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  pie, 
cake,  bread,  and  meat. 

She  placed  this  in  front  of  Toby,  and  as  she  did  so  she 
handed  him  two  pictures. 

"  There,  little  Toby  Tyler,"  she  said—"  there's  something 
for  you  to  eat,  if  Mr.  Job  Lord  and  his  precious  partner 
Jacobs  did  say  7011  shouldn't  have  any  supper:  an'  I've 


TOBT  AKV8    HIS   SUPI'EK. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  75 

brought  you  a  picture  of  Samuel  an'  me.  We  sell  'em  for 
ten  cents  apiece,  but  I'm  going  to  give  them  to  you,  because 
I  like  the  looks  of  you." 

Toby  was  quite  overcome  with  the  presents,  and  seemed 
at  a  loss  how  to  thank  her  for  them.  He  attempted  to 
speak,  but  could  not  get  the  words  out  at  first ;  and  then  he 
said,  as  he  put  the  two  photographs  in  the  same  pocket  with 
his  money, "  You're  awful  good  to  me,  an'  when  I  get  to  be 
a  man  I'll  give  you  lots  of  things.  I  wasn't  so  very  hungry, 
if  I  am  such  a  big  eater,  but  I  did  want  something." 

"  Bless  your  dear  little  heart,  and  you  shall  have  some- 
thing to  eat,"  said  the  Fat  Woman,  as  she  seized  Toby, 
squeezed  him  close  up  to  her,  and  kissed  his  freckled  face 
as  kindly  as  if  it  had  been  as  fair  and  white  as  possible. 
"  You  shall  eat  all  you  want  to ;  an'  if  you  get  the  stomach- 
ache, as  Samuel  does  sometimes  when  he's  been  eatin'  too 
much,  I'll  give  you  some  catnip-tea  out  of  the  same  dipper 
that  I  give  him  his.  He's  a  great  eater,  Samuel  is,"  she 
added,  in  a  burst  of  confidence,  "  an'  it's  a  wonder  to  me 
what  he  does  with  it  all  sometimes." 

"  Is  he  ?"  exclaimed  Toby,  quickly.  "  How  funny  that  is  ! 
for  I'm  an  awful  eater.  Why,  Uncle  Dan'l  used  to  say  that 
I  ate  twice  as  much  as  I  ought  to,  an'  it  never  made  me  any 
bigger.  I  wonder  what's  the  reason  ?" 

"I  declare  I  don't  know,"  said  the  Fat  Woman,  thought- 


76  Toby   Tyler ;  or, 

fully,  "  an'  I've  wondered  at  it  time  an'  time  again.  Some 
folks  is  made  that  way,  an'  some  folks  is  made  different. 
Now,  I  don't  eat  enough  to  keep  a  chicken  alive,  an'  yet  I 
grow  fatter  an'  fatter  every  day — don't  I,  Samuel  ?" 

"  Indeed  yon  do,  my  love,"  said  the  skeleton,  with  a  world 
of  pride  in  his  voice;  "but  you  mustn't  feel  bad  about  it, 
for  every  pound  you  gain  makes  you  worth  just  so  much 
more  to  the  show." 

"  Oh,  I  wasn't  worrying  I  was  only  wonderin'.  But  we 
must  go,  Samuel,  for  the  poor  child  won't  eat  a  bit  while 
we  are  here.  After  you've  eaten  what  there  is  there,  bring 
the  plate  in  to  me,"  she  said  to  Toby,  as  she  took  her  lean 
husband  by  the  arm  and  walked  him  off  toward  their  own 
tent. 

Toby  gazed  after  them  a  moment,  and  then  he  com- 
menced a  vigorous  attack  upon  the  eatables  which  had  been 
so  kindly  given  him.  Of  the  food  which  he  had  taken  from 
the  dinner -table  he  had  eaten  some  while  he  was  in  the 
tent,  and  after  that  he  had  entirely  forgotten  that  he  had 
any  in  his  pocket ;  therefore,  at  the  time  that  Mrs.  Treat 
had  brought  him  such  a  liberal  supply  he  was  really  very 
hungry. 

He  succeeded  in  eating  nearly  all  the  food  which  had 
been  brought  to  him,  and  the  very  small  quantity  which  re- 
mained he  readily  found  room  for  in  his  pockets.  Then 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  77 

tie  washed  the  plate  nicely ;  and  seeing  no  one  in  sight,  he 
thought  he  could  leave  the  booth  long  enough  to  return  the 
plate. 

He  ran  with  it  quickly  into  the  tent  occupied  by  the  thin 
man  and  fat  woman,  and  handed  it  to  her,  with  a  profusion 
of  thanks  for  her  kindness. 

"  Did  you  eat  it  all  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Well,"  hesitated  Toby,  "  there  was  two  doughnuts  an'  a 
piece  of  pie  left  over,  an'  I  put  them  in  my  pocket.  If  you 
don't  care,  I'll  eat  them  some  time  to-night." 

"  You  shall  eat  it  whenever  you  want  to ;  an'  any  time 
that  you  get  hungry  again,  you  come  right  to  me." 

"  Thank  you,  marm.  I  must  go  now,  for  I  left  the  store 
all  alone." 

"  Run,  then ;  an'  if  Job  Lord  abuses  you,  just  let  me  know 
it,  an'  I'll  keep  him  from  cuttin'  up  any  monkey  shines." 

Toby  hardly  heard  the  end  of  her  sentence,  so  great  was 
his  haste  to  get  back  to  the  booth;  and  just  as  he  emerged 
from  the  tent,  on  a  quick  run,  he  received  a  blow  on  the  ear 
which  sent  him  sprawling  in  the  dust,  and  he  heard  Mr.  Job 
Lord's  angry  voice  as  it  said,  "  So,  just  the  moment  my  back 
is  turned,  you  leave  the  stand  to  take  care  of  itself,  do  you, 
an'  run  around  tryin'  to  plot  some  mischief  against  me,  eh  ?" 
And  the  brute  kicked  the  prostrate  boy  twice  with  his  heavy 
boot 


78  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

"  Please  don't  kick  me  again !"  pleaded  Toby.  w  I  wasn't 
gone  but  a  minute,  an5 1  wasn't  doing  anything  bad." 

"  You're  lying  now,  an'  you  know  it,  you  young  cub !" 
exclaimed  the  angry  man  as  he  advanced  to  kick  the  boy 
again.  "  I'll  let  you  know  who  you've  got  to  deal  with 
when  you  get  hold  of  me !" 

"  And  I'll  let  you  know  who  you've  got  to  deal  with  when 
you  get  hold  of  me  I"  said  a  woman's  voice ;  and,  just  as 
Mr.  Lord  raised  his  foot  to  kick  the  boy  again,  the  Fat 
Woman  seized  him  by  the  collar,  jerked  him  back  over  one 
of  the  tent  ropes,  and  left  him  quite  as  prostrate  as  he  had 
left  Toby.  "Now,  Job  Lord,"  said  the  angry  woman,  as 
she  towered  above  the  thoroughly  enraged  but  thoroughly 
frightened  man,  "  I  want  you  to  understand  that  you  can't 
knock  and  beat  this  boy  while  I'm  around.  I've  seen  enough 
of  your  capers,  an'  I'm  going  to  put  a  stop  to  them.  That 
boy  wasn't  in  this  tent  more  than  two  minutes,  an'  he  at- 
tends to  his  work  better  than  any  one  you  have  ever  had ; 
so  see  that  you  treat  him  decent.  Get  up,"  she  said  to  Toby, 
who  had  not  dared  to  rise  from  the  ground;  "and  if  he 
offers  to  strike  you  again,  come  to  me." 

Toby  scrambled  to  his  feet,  and  ran  to  the  booth  in  time 
to  attend  to  one  or  two  customers  who  had  just  come  up. 
He  could  see  from  out  the  corner  of  his  eye  that  Mr.  Lord 
had  arisen  to  his  feet  also,  and  was  engaged  in  an  angry 


JOB   LOUD    LKAliNS   A    LESSON. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  Si 

conversation  with  Mrs.  Treat,  the  result  of  which  he  very 
much  feared  would  be  another  and  a  worse  whipping  for 
him. 

But  in  this  he  was  mistaken,  for  Mr.  Lord,  after  the  con- 
versation was  ended,  came  toward  the  booth,  and  began  to 
attend  to  his  business  without  speaking  one  word  to  Toby. 
When  Mr.  Jacobs  returned  from  his  supper  Mr.  Lord  took 
him  by  the  arm  and  walked  him  out  toward  the  rear  of 
the  tents;  and  Toby  was  very  positive  that  he  was  to  be 
the  subject  of  their  conversation,  which  made  him  not  a 
little  uneasy. 

It  was  not  until  nearly  time  for  the  performance  to  begin 
that  Mr.  Lord  returned,  and  he  had  nothing  to  say  to  Toby 
save  to  tell  him  to  go  into  the  tent  and  begin  his  work  there. 
The  boy  was  only  too  glad  to  escape  so  easily,  and  he  went 
to  his  work  with  as  much  alacrity  as  if  he  were  about  enter- 
ing upon  some  pleasure. 

When  he  met  Mr.  Jacobs  that  gentleman  spoke  to  him 
very  sharply  about  being  late,  and  seemed  to  think  it  no  ex- 
cuse at  all  that  he  had  just  been  relieved  from  the  outside 
7ork  by  Mr.  Lord. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AN  ACCIDENT  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES. 

'OBY'S  experience  in  the  evening  was  very  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  afternoon,  save  that  he  was  so 
fortunate  as  not  to  take  any  more  bad  money  in 
payment  for  his  goods.  Mr.  Jacobs  scolded  and 
swore  alternately,  and  the  boy  really  surprised  him  by  his 
way  of  selling  goods,  though  he  was  very  careful  not  to  say 
anything  about  it,  but  made  Toby  believe  that  he  was  doing 
only  about  half  as  much  work  as  he  ought  to  do.  Toby's 
private  hoard  of  money  was  increased  that  evening,  by 
presents,  ninety  cents,  and  he  began  to  look  upon  himself 
as  almost  a  rich  man. 

When  the  performance  was  nearly  over  Mr.  Jacobs  call- 
ed to  him  to  help  in  packing  up;  and  by  the  time  the  last 
spectator  had  left  the  tent  the  worldly  possessions  of  Messrs. 
Lord  and  Jacobs  were  ready  for  removal,  and  Toby  allow- 
ed to  do  as  he  had  a  mind  to,  so  long  as  he  was  careful  to 
be  on  hand  when  Old  Ben  was  ready  to  start. 

Toby  thought  that  he  would  have  time  to  pay  a  visit  to 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  83 

his  friends  the  skeleton  and  the  Fat  Woman,  and  to  that  end 
started  toward  the  place  where  their  tent  had  been  stand- 
ing; but  to  his  sorrow  he  found  that  it  was  already  being 
taken  down,  and  he  had  only  time  to  thank  Mrs.  Treat  and 
to  press  the  fleshless  hand  of  her  shadowy  husband  as  they 
entered  their  wagon  to  drive  away. 

He  was  disappointed,  for  he  had  hoped  to  be  able  to 
speak  with  his  new-made  friends  a  few  moments  before  the 
weary  night's  ride  commenced ;  but,  failing  in  that,  he  went 
hastily  back  to  the  monkeys'  cage.  Old  Ben  was  there,  get- 
ting things  ready  for  a  start ;  but  the  wooden  sides  of  the 
cage  had  not  been  put  up,  and  Toby  had  no  difficulty  in 
calling  the  aged  monkey  up  to  the  bars.  He  held  one  of 
the  Fat  Woman's  doughnuts  in  his  hand,  and  said,  as  he 
passed  it  through  to  the  animal, 

"  I  thought  perhaps  you  might  be  hungry,  Mr.  Stubbs, 
and  this  is  some  of  what  the  skeleton's  wife  give  me.  I 
hain't  got  very  much  time  to  talk  with  you  now ;  but  the 
first  chance  I  can  get  away  to-morrow,  an'  when  there 
hain't  anybody  'round,  I  want  to  tell  you  something." 

The  monkey  had  taken  the  doughnut  in  his  hand -like 
paws,  and  was  tearing  it  to  pieces,  eating  small  portions  of 
it  very  rapidly. 

"  Don't  hurry  yourself,"  said  Toby,  warningly,  "  for  Un- 
cle Dan'l  always  told  me  the  worst  thing  a  feller  could  do 


84  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

was  to  eat  fast.  If  you  want  any  more,  after  we  start,  jnst 
put  your  hand  through  the  little  hole  up  there  near  the 
seat,  an'  I'll  give  you  all  you  want." 

From  the  look  on  his  face  Toby  confidently  believed  the 
monkey  was  about  to  make  some  reply ;  but  just  then  Ben 
shut  up  the  sides,  separating  Toby  and  Mr.  Stubbs,  and  the 
order  was  given  to  start. 

Toby  clambered  up  on  to  the  high  seat,  Ben  followed 
him,  and  in  another  instant  the  team  was  moving  along 
slowly  down  the  dusty  road,  preceded  and  followed  by  the 
many  wagons,  with  their  tiny  swinging  lights. 

"  "Well,"  said  Ben,  when  he  had  got  his  team  well  under 
way,  and  felt  that  he  could  indulge  in  a  little  conversation, 
"  how  did  you  get  along  to-day  ?" 

Toby  related  all  of  his  movements,  and  gave  the  driver  a 
faithful  account  of  all  that  had  happened  to  him,  conclud- 
ing his  story  by  saying,  "That  was  one  of  Mrs.  Treat's 
doughnuts  that  I  just  gave  to  Mr.  Stubbs." 

"  To  whom  ?"  asked  Ben,  in  surprise. 

"To  Mr.  Stubbs  —  the  old  fellow  here  in  the  cart,  yon 
know,  that's  been  so  good  to  me."  « 

Toby  heard  a  sort  of  gurgling  sound,  saw  the  driver's 
body  sway  back  and  forth  in  a  trembling  way,  and  was  just 
becoming  thoroughly  alarmed,  when  he  thought  of  the 
previous  night,  and  understood  that  Ben  was  only  laugh- 
ing in  his  own  peculiar  way. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circles.  85 

rtllow  did  you  know  his  name  was  Stubbs  ?"  asked  Ben, 
after  he  had  recovered  his  breath. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  that  is  his  real  name,"  was  the 
quick  reply;  "I  only  call  him  that  because  he  looks  so 
much  like  a  feller  with  that  name  that  I  knew  at  home. 
He  don't  seem  to  mind  because  I  call  him  Stubbs." 

Ben  looked  at  Toby  earnestly  for  a  moment,  acting  all 
the  time  as  if  he  wanted  to  laugh  again,  but  didn't  dare  to, 
for  fear  he  might  burst  u  blood-vessel ;  and  then  he  said,  as 
he  patted  him  on  the  shoulder, "  Well,  you  are  the  queerest 
little  fish  that  I  ever  saw  in  all  rny  travels.  You  seem  to 
think  that  thai,  monkey  knows  all  you  say  to  him." 

"I'm  sure  he  does,"  said  Toby,  positively.  "He  don't 
say  anything  right  out  to  me,  but  he  knows  everything  I 
tell  him.  Do  you  suppose  he  could  talk  if  he  tried  to  ?" 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Toby  Tyler"  — and  Ben  turned  half 
around  in  his  seat  and  looked  Toby  full  in  the  face,  so^as  to 
give  more  emphasis  to  his  words — "  are  you  heathen  enough 
to  think  that  that  monkey  could  talk  if  he  wanted  to?" 

"  I  know  I  hain't  a  heathen,"  said  Toby,  thoughtfully, 
"for  if  I  had  been  some  of  the  missionaries  would  have 
found  me  out  a  good  while  ago ;  but  I  never  saw  anybody 
like  this  old  Mr.  Stubbs  before,  an'  I  thought  he  could 
talk  if  he  wanted  to,  just  as  the  Living  Skeleton  does, 
or  his  wife.  Anyhow,  Mr.  Stubbs  winks  at  me;  an"  how 


86  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

could  he  do  that  if  he  didn't  know  what  I've  been  say  in' 
to  him?" 

"  Look  here,  my  son,"  said  Ben,  in  a  most  fatherly  fash- 
ion, "monkeys  hain't  anything  but  beasts,  an'  they  don't  know 
how  to  talk  any  more  than  they  know  what  you  say  to  'em.'5 

"  Didn't  you  ever  hear  any  of  them  speak  a  word  ?" 

"  Never.  I've  been  in  a  circus,  man  an'  boy,  nigh  on  to 
forty  years,  an'  I  never  seen  nothin'  in  a  monkey  more'n 
any  other  beast,  except  their  awful  mischief  ness." 

"Well,"  said  Toby,  still  unconvinced,"!  believe  Mr. 
Stubbs  knows  what  I  say  to  him,  anyway." 

"Now  don't  be  foolish,  Toby,"  pleaded  Ben.  "You 
can't  show  me  one  thing  that  a  monkey  ever  did  because 
you  told  him  to." 

Just  at  that  moment  Toby  felt  some  one  pulling  at  .the 
back  of  his  coat,  and  looking  round  he  saw  it  was  a  little 
brown  hand,  reaching  through  the  bars  of  the  air-hole  of 
the  cage,  that  was  tugging  away  at  his  coat. 

"  There !"  he  said,  triumphantly,  to  Ben.  "  Look  there ! 
I  told  Mr.  Stubbs  if  he  wanted  anything  more  to  eat,  to 
tell  me,  an'  I  would  give  it  to  him.  Now  you  can  see  for 
yourself  that  he's  come  for  it."  And  Toby  took  a  doughnut 
from  his  pocket  and  put  it  into  the  tiny  hand,  which  was 
immediately  withdrawn.  "  Now  what  do  you  think  of  Mr, 
Stubbs  knowing  what  I  say  to  him  ?" 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  87 

w  They  often  stick  their  paws  up  through  there,"  said  Ben, 
m  a  matter-of-fact  tone.  "  I've  had  'em  pull  my  coat  in  the 
night  till  they  made  me  as  nervous  as  ever  any  old  woman 
was.  You  see,  Toby,  my  boy,  monkeys  is  monkeys ;  an'  you 
mustn't  go  to  gettin'  the  idea  that  they're  anything  else, 
for  it's  a  mistake.  You  think  this  old  monkey  in  here 
knows  what  you  say?  Why,  that's  just  the  cuteness  of  the 
old  fellow:  he  watches  you  to  see  if  he  can't  do  just  as 
you  do,  an'  that's  all  there  is  about  it." 

Toby  was  more  than  half  convinced  that  Ben  was  putting 
the  matter  in  its  proper  light,  and  he  would  have  believed 
all  that  had  been  said  if,  just  at  that  moment,  he  had  not 
seen  that  brown  hand  reaching  through  the  hole  to  clutch 
him  again  by  the  coat. 

The  action  seemed  so  natural,  so  like  a  hungry  boy  who 
gropes  in  the  dark  pantry  for  something  to  eat,  that  it  would 
have  taken  more  arguments  than  Ben  had  at  his  disposal  to 
persuade  Toby  that  his  Mr.  Stubbs  could  not  understand  all 
that  was  said  to  him.  Toby  put  another  doughnut  in  the 
outstretched  hand,  and  then  sat  silently,  as  if  in  a  brown- 
study  over  some  difficult  problem. 

For  some  time  the  ride  was  continued  in  silence.  Ben 
was  going  through  all  the  motions  of  whistling  without  ut- 
tering a  sound — a  favorite  amusement  of  his — and  Toby's 
thoughts  were  far  away  in  the  humble  home  he  had  scorn- 


88  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

ed,  with  Uncle  Daniel,  whose  virtues  had  increased  in  his 
esteem  with  every  mile  of  distance  which  had  been  put  be- 
tween them,  and  whose  faults  had  decreased  in  a  corre- 
sponding ratio. 

Toby's  thoughtf  illness  had  made  him  sleepy,  and  his  eyes 
were  almost  closed  in  slumber,  when  he  was  startled  by  a 
crashing  sound,  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  of  being  hurled 
from  his  seat  by  some  great  force,  and  then  he  lay  senseless 
by  the  side  of  the  road,  while  the  wagon  became  a  perfect 
wreck,  from  out  of  which  a  small  army  of  monkeys  was 
escaping.  Ben's  experienced  ear  had  told  him  at  the  first 
crash  that  his  wagon  was  breaking  down,  and,  without  hav- 
ing time  to  warn  Toby  of  bis  peril,  he  had  leaped  clear  of 
the  wreck,  keeping  his  horses  under  perfect  control,  and 
thus  averting  more  trouble.  It  was  the  breaking  of  one  of 
the  axles  which  Toby  had  heard  jnst  before  he  was  thrown 
from  his  seat,  and  when  the  body  of  the  wagon  came  down 
upon  the  hard  road. 

The  monkeys,  thus  suddenly  released  from  confinement, 
had  scampered  off  in  every  direction,  and  by  a  singular 
chance  Toby's  aged  friend  started  for  the  woods  in  such  a 
direction  as  to  bring  him  directly  before  the  boy's  insensi- 
ble form.  The  monkey,  on  coming  up  to  Toby,  stopped, 
urged  by  the  well-known  curiosity  of  its  race,  and  began  to 
examine  the  boy's  person  carefully,  prying  into  pockets 


THE    BRKAK-DOWN,  AND    ESCAPE    OF   THE   MONKKYS. 


Ten  Weeks  wit k  a  Circus.  91 

and  trying  to  open  the  boy's  half -closed  eyelids.  Fortunate- 
ly for  Toby,  he  had  fallen  upon  a  mud-bank,  and  was  only 
stunned  for  the  moment,  having  received  no  serious  bruises, 
The  attentions  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  monkey  served 
the  purpose  of  bringing  him  to  his  senses;  and,  after  he 
had  looked  around  him  in  the  gray  light  of  the  coming 
morning,  it  would  have  taken  far  more  of  a  philosopher 
than  Old  Ben  was  to  persuade  the  boy  that  monkeys  did 
not  possess  reasoning  faculties. 

The  monkey  was  busy  at  Toby's  ears,  nose,  and  mouth, 
as  monkeys  will  do  when  they  get  an  opportunity,  and  the 
expression  of  its  face  was  as  grave  as  possible.  Toby  firm- 
ly believed  that  the  monkey's  face  showed  sorrow  at  his 
fall,  and  he  imagined  that  the  attentions  which  were  be- 
stowed upon  him  were  for  the  purpose  of  learning  whether 
he  had  been  injured  or  not. 

"  Don't  worry,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Toby,  anxious  to  reassure 
his  friend,  as  he  sat  upright  and  looked  about  him.  "  I 
didn't  get  hurt  any ;  but  I  would  like  to  know  how  I  got 
'way  over  here." 

It  really  seemed  as  if  the  monkey  was  pleased  to  know 
that  his  little  friend  was  not  hurt,  for  he  seated  himself  on 
his  haunches,  and  his  face  expressed  the  liveliest  pleasure 
that  Toby  was  well  again — or  at  least  that  was  how  the 
boy  interpreted  the  look 


92  'Toby  Tyler 

By  this  time  the  news  of  the  accident  had  been  shouted 
ahead  from  one  team  to  the  other,  and  all  hands  were  hur- 
rying to  the  scene  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  aid.  As 
Toby  saw  them  coming  he  also  saw  a  number  of  small 
forms,  looking  something  like  diminutive  men,  hurrying 
past  him?  and  for  the  first  time  he  understood  how  it  was 
that  the  aged  monkey  was  at  liberty,  and  knew  that  those 
little  dusky  forms  were  the  other  occupants  of  the  cage  es- 
caping to  the  woods. 

"  See  there,  Mr.  Stubbs !  see  there !"  he  exclaimed,  point- 
ing toward  the  fugitives ;  "  they're  all  going  off  into  the 
woods !  What  shall  we  do  ?" 

The  sight  of  the  runaways  seemed  to  excite  the  old 
monkey  quite  as  much  as  it  did  the  boy.  He  sprung  to 
his  feet,  chattering  in  the  most  excited  way,  screamed  two 
or  three  times,  as  if  he  were  calling  them  back,  and  then 
started  off  in  vigorous  pursuit. 

"Now  he's  gone  too!"  said  Toby,  disconsolately,  believing 
the  old  fellow  had  run  away  from  him.  "  I  didn't  think 
Mr.  Stubbs  would  treat  me  this  way  1" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CAPTURE  OF  THE  MONKEYS. 

^  HE  boy  tried  to  rise  to  his  feet,  but  his  head 
whirled  so,  and  he  felt  so  dizzy  and  sick  from  the 
effects  of  his  fall,  that  he  was  obliged  to  sit  down 
again  until  he  should  feel  able  to  stand.  Mean- 
while the  crowd  around  the  wagon  paid  no  attention  to  him, 
and  he  lay  there  quietly  enough,  until  he  heard  the  hateful 
voice  of  Mr.  Lord,  asking  if  his  boy  were  hurt. 

The  sound  of  his  voice  affected  Toby  very  much  as  the 
chills-and-fever  affect  a  sufferer,  and  he  shook  so  with  fear, 
and  his  heart  beat  so  loudly,  that  he  thought  Mr.  Lord  must 
know  where  he  was  by  the  sound.  Seeing,  however,  that  his 
employer  did  not  come  directly  toward  him,  the  thought 
flashed  upon  his  mind  that  now  would  be  a  good  chance 
to  run  away,  and  he  acted  upon  it  at  once.  He  railed  him- 
self over  in  the  mud  until  he  reached  a  low  growth  of  fir- 
trees  that  skirted  the  road,  and  when  beneath  their  friend- 
ly shade  he  arose  to  his  feet  and  walked  swiftly  toward  the 
woods,  following  the  direction  the  monkeys  had  taken. 


94  Toby  Tyler ;  or% 

He  no  longer  felt  dizzy  and  sick :  the  fear  of  Mr.  Lord 
had  dispelled  all  that,  and  he  felt  strong  and  active  again. 

He  had  walked  rapidly  for  some  distance,  and  was  nearly 
beyond  the  sound  of  the  voices  in  the  road,  when  he  was 
startled  hy  seeing  quite  a  procession  of  figures  emerge  from 
the  trees  and  come  directly  toward  him. 

He  could  not  understand  the  meaning  of  this  strange 
company,  and  it  so  frightened  him  that  he  attempted  to  hide 
behind  a  tree,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  pass  without  see- 
ing him.  But  no  sooner  had  he  secreted  himself  than  a 
Btrange,  shrill  chattering  came  from  the  foremost  of  the 
group,  and  in  an  instant  Toby  emerged  from  his  place  of 
concealment. 

He  had  recognized  the  peculiar  sound  as  that  of  the  old 
monkey  who  had  left  him  a  few  moments  before,  and  he 
knew  now  what  he  did  not  know  then,  owing  to  the  dark- 
ness. The  new-comers  were  the  monkeys  that  had  escaped 
from  the  cage,  and  had  been  overtaken  and  compelled  to 
come  back  by  the  old  monkey,  who  seemed  to  have  the  most 
perfect  control  over  them. 

The  old  fellow  was  leading  the  band,  and  all  were  linked 
^ hand -ii> hand"  with  each  other,  which  gave  the  whole 
crowd  a  most  comical  appearance  as  they  came  up  to  Toby, 
half  hopping,  half  walking  upright,  and  all  chattering  and 
screaming,  like  a  crowd  of  children  out  for  a  holiday. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  95 

Toby  stepped  toward  the  noisy  crowd,  held  out  his  hand 
gravely  to  the  old  monkey,  and  said,  in  tones  of  heart-felt 
sorrow, 

"  I  felt  awful  bad  because  I  thought  you  had  gone  off  an' 
left  me,  when  you  only  went  off  to  find  the  other  fellows. 
You're  awful  good,  Mr.  Stubbs ;  an'  now,  instead  of  runnin' 
away,  as  I  was  goin'  to  do,  we'll  all  go  back  together." 

The  old  monkey  grasped  Toby's  extended  hand  with 
his  disengaged  paw,  and,  clinging  firmly  to  it,  the  whole 
crowd  followed  in  unbroken  line,  chattering  and  scolding 
at  the  most  furious  rate,  while  every  now  and  then  Mr. 
Stubbs  would  look  back  and  scream  out  something,  which 
would  cause  the  confusion  to  cease  for  an  instant. 

It  was  really  a  comical  sight,  but  Toby  seemed  to  think  it 
the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  that  they  should  follow 
him  in  this  manner,  and  he  chattered  to  the  old  monkey 
quite  as  fast  as  any  of  the  others  were  doing.  He  told  him 
very  gravely  all  that  he  knew  about  the  accident,  explained 
why  it  was  that  he  conceived  the  idea  of  running  away,  and 
really  believed  that  Mr.  Stubbs  understood  every  word  he 
was  saying. 

Very  shortly  after  Toby  had  started  to  run  away  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  circus  drove  up  to  the  scene  of  disaster; 
and,  after  seeing  that  the  wagon  was  being  rapidly  fixed  up 
so  that  it  could  be  hauled  to  the  next  town,  he  ordered  that 


96  Toby  lyler  ;  or, 

search  should  be  made  for  the  monkeys.  It  was  very  impor 
tant  that  they  should  be  captured  at  once,  and  he  appeared 
to  think  more  of  the  loss  of  the  animals  than  of  the  damage 
done  to  the  wagon. 

While  the  men  were  forming  a  plan  for  a  search  for  the 
truants,  so  that  in  case  of  a  capture  they  could  let  each 
other  know,  the  noise  made  by  Toby  and  his  party  was 
heard,  and  the  men  stood  still  to  learn  what  it  meant. 

The  entire  party  burst  into  shouts  of  laughter  as  Toby 
and  his  companions  walked  into  the  circle  of  light  formed 
by  the  glare  of  the  lanterns,  and  the  merriment  was  by  no 
means  abated  at  Toby's  serious  demeanor.  The  wagon  was 
510 w  standing  upright,  with  the  door  open,  and  Toby  there- 
fore led  his  companions  directly  to  it,  gravely  motioning 
them  to  enter. 

The  old  monkey,  instead  of  obeying,  stepped  back  to 
Toby's  side,  and  screamed  to  the  others  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  all  entered  the  cage,  leaving  him  on  the  outside 
with  the  boy. 

Toby  motioned  him  to  get  in  too,  but  he  clung  to  his 
hand,  and  scolded  so  furiously,  that  it  was  apparent  he  had 
no  idea  of  leaving  his  boy  companion.  One  of  the  men 
stepped  up,  and  was  about  to  force  him  into  the  wagon, 
when  the  proprietor  ordered  him  to  stop. 

44  What  boy  is  thatT  he  asked. 


BRINGING    BACK   THE   RUNAWAYS. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  99 

*  Job  Lord's  new  boy,"  said  some  one  in  the  crowd. 

The  man  asked  Toby  how  it  was  that  he  had  succeeded  in 
capturing  all  the  runaways ;  and  he  answered,  gravely, 

"  Mr.  Stubbs  an'  I  are  good  friends,  an'  when  he  saw  the 
others  runnin'  away  he  just  stopped  'em,  an'  brought  'em 
back  to  me.  I  wish  you'd  let  Mr.  Stubbs  ride  with  me ;  we 
like  each  other  a  good  deal." 

"You  can  do  just  what  you  please  with  Mr.  Stubbs,  as 
you  call  him.  I  expected  to  lose  half  the  monkeys  in  that 
cage,  and  you  have  brought  back  every  one.  That  monkey 
shall  be  yours,  and  you  may  put  him  in  the  cage  whenever 
you  want  to,  or  take  him  with  you,  just  as  you  choose,  for 
he  belongs  entirely  to  you." 

Toby's  joy  knew  no  bounds ;  he  put  his  arm  around  the 
monkey's  neck,  and  the  monkey  clung  firmly  to  him,  until 
even  Job  Lord  was  touched  at  the  evidence  of  affection  be- 
tween the  two. 

While  the  wagon  was  being  repaired  Toby  and  the  mon- 
key stood  hand -in -hand  watching  the  work  go  on,  while 
those  in  the  cage  scolded  and  raved  because  they  had  been 
induced  to  return  to  captivity.  After  a  while  the  old  mon- 
key seated  himself  on  Toby's  arm  and  cuddled  close  up  to 
him,  uttering  now  and  then  a  contented  sort  of  a  little 
squeak  as  the  boy  talked  to  him. 

That  night  Mr.  Stubbs  slept  in  Toby's  arms,  in  the  band 


ioo  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

wagon,  and  both  boy  and  monkey  appeared  very  well  con- 
tented with  their  lot,  which  a  short  time  previous  had 
seemed  so  hard. 

When  Toby  awakened  to  his  second  day's  work  with  the 
circus  his  monkey  friend  was  seated  by  his  side,  gravely  ex- 
ploring his  pockets,  and  all  the  boy's  treasures  were  being 
spread  out  on  the  floor  of  the  wagon  by  his  side.  Toby  re- 
monstrated with  him  on  this  breach  of  confidence,  but  Mr. 
Stubbs  was  more  in  the  mood  for  sport  than  for  grave  con- 
versation, and  the  more  Toby  talked  tb«  more  mischievous 
did  he  become,  until  at  length  the  boy  gathered  up  his  little 
store  of  treasures,  took  the  monkey  by  the  paw,  and  walked 
him  toward  the  cage  from  which  he  had  escaped  on  the  pre- 
vious night. 

"Now,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  Toby,  speaking  in  an  injured 
tone,  "you  must  go  in  here  and  stay  till  I  have  got  more 
time  to  fool  with  you." 

He  opened  the  door  of  the  cage,  but  the  monkey  strug- 
gled as  well  as  he  was  able,  and  Toby  was  obliged  to  exert 
all  his  strength  to  put  him  in. 

When  once  the  door  was  fastened  upon  him  Toby  tried 
to  impress  upon  his  monkey  friend's  mind  the  importance  of 
being  more  sedate,  and  he  was  convinced  that  the  words 
had  sunk  deep  into  Mr.  Stubbs's  heart,  for,  by  the  time  he 
had  concluded,  the  old  monkey  was  seated  in  the  corner  of 


Ten  Weeks  with,  a  Circus.  101 

the  cage,  looking  up  from  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows  in  the 
most  reproachful  manner  possible. 

Toby  felt  sorry  that  he  had  spoken  so  harshly,  and  was 
about  to  make  amends  for  his  severity,  when  Mr.  Lord's 
gruff  voice  recalled  him  to  the  fact  that  his  time  was  not 
his  own,  and  he  therefore  commenced  his  day's  work,  but 
with  a  lighter  heart  than  he  had  had  since  he  stole  away 
from  Uncle  Daniel  and  Guilford. 

This  day  was  not  very  much  different  from  the  preceding 
one  so  far  as  the  manner  of  Mr.  Lord  and  his  partner  toward 
the  boy  was  concerned ;  they  seemed  to  have  an  idea  that 
he  was  doing  only  about  half  as  much  work  as  he  ought  to, 
and  both  united  in  swearing  at  and  abusing  him  as  much  as 
possible. 

So  far  as  his  relations  with  other  members  of  the  com- 
pany were  concerned,  Toby  now  stood  in  a  much  better  po- 
sition than  before.  Those  who  had  witnessed  the  scene 
told  the  others  how  Toby  had  led  in  the  monkeys  on  the 
night  previous,  and  nearly  every  member  of  the  company 
had  a  kind  word  for  the  little  fellow  whose  head  could 
hardly  be  seen  above  the  counter  of  Messrs.  Lord  and 
Jacobs's  booth. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  DINNER-PARTY. 

T  noon  Toby  was  thoroughly  tired  out,  for  when- 
ever any  one  spoke  kindly  to  him  Mr.  Lord  seem- 
ed to  take  a  malicious  pleasure  in  giving  him 
extra  tasks  to  do,  until  Toby  began  to  hope  that 
no  one  else  would  pay  any  attention  to  him.  On  this  day 
he  was  permitted  to  go  to  dinner  firsthand  after  he  return- 
ed he  was  left  in  charge  of  the  booth.  Trade  being  dull — 
as  it  usually  was  during  the  dinner  hour — he  had  very  little 
work  to  do  after  he  had  cleaned  the  glasses  and  set  things 
to  rights  generally. 

When,  therefore,  he  saw  the  gaunt  form  of  the  skeleton 
emerge  from  his  tent  and  come  toward  him  he  was  partic- 
ularly pleased,  for  he  had  begun  to  think  very  kindly  of  the 
thin  man  and  his  fleshy  wife. 

"Well,  Toby,"  said  the  skeleton,  as  he  came  up  to  the 
booth,  carefully  dusted  Mr.  Lord's  private  chair,  and  sat 
down  very  cautiously  in  it,  as  if  he  expected  that  it  would 
break  down  under  his  weight, "  T  hear  you've  beep  making 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus*  103 

quite  a  hero  of  yourself  by  capturing  the  monkeys  last 
night." 

Toby's  freckled  face  reddened  with  pleasure  as  he  heard 
these  words,  and  he  stammered  out,  with  considerable  dif- 
ficulty, "I  didn't  do  anything;  it  was  Mr.  Stubbs  that 
brought  'em  back." 

"Mr.  Stubbs!"  And  the  skeleton  laughed  so  heartily 
that  Toby  was  afraid  he  would  dislocate  some  of  his  thinly- 
covered  joints.  "When  you  was  tellin' .about  Mr.  Stubbs 
yesterday  I  thought  you  meant  some  one  belonging  to  the 
company.  Yon  ought  to  have  seen  my  wife  Lilly  shake 
with  laughing  when  I  told  her  who  Mr.  Stubbs  wasl" 

"  Yes,"  said  Toby,  at  a  loss  to  know  just  what  to  say, 
"I  should  think  she  would  shake  when  she  laughs." 

"She  does,"  replied  the  skeleton.  "If  you  could  see 
her  when  something  funny  strikes  her  you'd  think  she  was 
one  of  those  big  plates  of  jelly  that  they  have  in  the  bake- 
shop  windows."  And  Mr.  Treat  looked  proudly  at  the  gaudy 
picture  which  represented  his  wife  in  all  her  monstrosity  of 
flesh.  "  She's  a  great  woman,  Toby,  an'  she's  got  a  great 
head." 

Toby  nodded  his  head  in  assent.  He  would  have  liked 
to  have  said  something  nice  regarding  Mrs.  Treat,  but  he 
really  did  not  know  what  to  say,  so  he  simply  contented 
himself  and  the  fond  husband  by  nodding. 


IO4  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

"  She  thinks  a  good  deal  of  yon,  Toby,"  continued  the 
skeleton,  as  he  moved  his  chair  to  a  position  more  favorable 
for  him  to  elevate  his  feet  on  the  edge  of  the  counter,  and 
placed  his  handkerchief  under  him  as  a  cushion ;  "  she's 
talking  of  you  all  the  time,  and  if  you  wasn't  such  a  little 
fellow  I  should  begin  to  be  jealous  of  you — I  should,  upon 
my  word." 

"  You're  —  both  —  very  —  good,"  stammered  Toby,  so 
weighted  down  by  a  sense  of  the  honor  heaped  upon  him 
as  to  be  at  a  loss  for  words. 

"An'  she  wants  to  see  more  of  you.  She  made  me  come 
out  here  now,  when  she  knew  Mr.  Lord  would  be  away,  to 
tell  you  that  we're  goin'  to  have  a  little  kind  of  a  friendly 
dinner  in  our  tent  to-morrow — she's  cooked  it  all  herself, 
or  she's  going  to — and  we  want  you  to  come  in  an'  have 
some  with  us." 

Toby's  eyes  glistened  at  the  thought  of  the  unexpected 
pleasure,  and  then  his  face  grew  sad  as  he  replied,  "  I'd  like 
to  come  first -rate,  Mr.  Treat,  but  I  don't  s'pose  Mr.  Lord 
would  let  me  stay  away  from  the  shop  long  enough." 

"  Why,  you  won't  have  any  work  to  do  to-morrow,  Toby 
—it's  Sunday." 

"  So  it  is !"  said  the  boy,  with  a  pleased  smile,  as  he 
thought  of  the  day  of  rest  which  was  so  near.  And  then 
he  added,  quickly,  "  An'  this  is  Saturday  afternoon.  What 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  105 

fun  the  boys  at  home  are  havin' !  You  see  there  hain't 
any  school  Saturday  afternoon,  an'  all  the  fellers  go  out  in 
the  woods." 

"And  you  wish  you  were  there  to  go  with  them,  don't 
you  ?"  asked  the  skeleton,  sympathetically. 

"  Indeed  I  do !"  exclaimed  Toby,  quickly.  "  It's  twice  as 
good  as  any  circus  that  ever  was." 

"  But  you  didn't  think  so  before  you  came  with  us,  did 
you?" 

"I  didn't  know  so  much  about  circuses  then  as  I  do 
now,"  replied  the  boy,  sadly. 

Mr.  Treat  saw  that  he  was  touching  on  a  sore  subject, 
and  one  which  was  arousing  sad  thoughts  in  his  little  com- 
panion's mind,  and  he  hastened  to  change  it  at  once. 

"  Then  I  can  tell  Lilly  that  you'll  come,  can  I  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,  I'll  be  sure  to  be  there ;  an'  '.[  want  you  to 
know  just  how  good  I  think  you  both  are  to  me." 

"  That's  all  right,  Toby,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  with  a  pleased 
expression  on  his  face ;  "  an'  you  may  bring  Mr.  Stubbs 
with  you,  if  you  want  to." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Toby;  "I'm  sure  Mr.  Stubbs  will  be 
just  as  glad  to  come  as  I  shall.  But  where  will  we  be  to- 
morrow ?" 

"  Right  here.  We  always  stay  over  Sunday  at  the  place 
where  we  show  Saturday.  But  I  must  be  going,  or  Lilly 


106  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

will  worry  her  life  out  of  her  for  fear  I'm  somewhere  get 
ting  cold.  She's  awful  careful  of  me,  that  woman  is. 
You'll  be  on  hand  to-morrow  at  one  o'clock,  won't  you  ?" 

"  Indeed  I  will,"  said  Toby,  emphatically,  "  an'  I'll  bring 
Mr.  Stubbs  with  me  too." 

With  a  friendly  nod  of  the  head,  the  skeleton  hurried 
away  to  reassure  his  wife  that  he  was  safe  and  well;  and 
before  he  had  hardly  disappeared  within  the  tent  Toby  had 
another  caller,  who  was  none  other  than  his  friend  Old  Ben, 
the  driver. 

"  Well,  my  boy,"  shouted  Ben,  in  his  cheery,  hearty  tones, 
"I  haven't  seen  you  since  you  left  the  wagon  so  sudden 
last  night.  Did  you  get  shook  up  much  ?" 

"Oh  no,"  replied  Toby:  "you  see  I  hain't  very  big;  an' 
then  I  struck  in  the  mud ;  so  I  got  off  pretty  easy." 

"That's  a  fact;  an'  you  can  thank  your  lucky  stars  for  it, 
too,  for  I've  seen  grown-up  men  get  pitched  off  a  wagon 
in  that  way  an'  break  their  necks  doin'  it.  But  has  Job 
told  you  where  you  was  going  to  sleep  to-night?  You 
know  we  stay  over  here  till  to-morrow." 

"I  didn't  think  anything  about  that;  but  I  s'pose  I'll 
sleep  in  the  wagon,  won't  I  ?" 

"  You  can  sleep  at  the  hotel,  if  you  want  to ;  but  the 
beds  will  likely  be  dirty ;  an'  if  you  take  my  advice  you'll 
crawl  into  some  of  the  wagons  in  the  tent." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  107 

Ben  then  explained  to  him  that,  after  his  work  was  done 
that  night,  he  would  not  be  expected  to  report  for  duty 
until  the  time  for  starting  on  Sunday  night,  and  concluded 
his  remarks  by  saying, 

"  Now  you  know  what  your  rights  are,  an'  don't  you  let 
Job  impose  on  you  in  any  way.  I'll  be  round  here  after 
you  get  through  work,  an'  we'll  bunk  in  somewhere  to- 
gether." 

The  arrival  of  Messrs.  Lord  and  Jacobs  put  a  stop  to  the 
conversation,  and  was  the  signal  for  Toby's  time  of  trial. 
It  seemed  to  him,  and  with  good  reason,  that  the  chief  de- 
light these  men  had  in  life  was  to  torment  him,  for  neither 
ever  spoke  a  pleasant  word  to  him ;  and  when  one  was  not 
giving  him  some  difficult  work  to  do,  or  finding  fault  in 
some  way,  the  other  would  be  sure  to  do  so ;  and  Toby  had 
very  little  comfort  from  the  time  he  began  work  in  the 
morning  until  he  stopped  at  night. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  evening  performance  was  over 
that  Toby  had  a  chance  to  speak  with  Mr.  Stubbs,  and  then 
he  was  so  tired  that  he  simply  took  the  old  monkey  from 
the  cage,  nestled  him  under  his  jacket,  and  lay  down  with 
him  to  sleep  in  the  place  which  Old  Ben  had  selected. 

When  the  morning  came  Mr.  Stubbs  aroused  his  young 
master  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than  he  would  have  awaken- 
ed had  he  been  left  to  himself,  and  the  two  went  out  for 


io8  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

a  short  walk  before  breakfast.  They  went  instinctively 
toward  the  woods;  and  when  the  shade  of  the  trees  was 
once  reached,  how  the  two  revelled  in  their  freedom !  Mr. 
Stubbs  climbed  into  the  trees,  swung  himself  from  one  to 
the  other  by  means  of  his  tail,  gathered  half-ripe  nuts, 
which  he  threw  at  his  master,  tried  to  catch  the  birds, 
and  had  a  good  time  generally. 

Toby,  stretched  at  full  length  on  the  mossy  bank,  watch- 
ed the  antics  of  his  pet,  laughing  boisterously  at  times  as 
Mr.  Stubbs  would  do  some  one  thing  more  comical  than 
usual,  and  forgot  there  was  in  this  world  such  a  thing  as  a 
circus,  or  such  a  man  as  Job  Lord.  It  was  to  Toby  a  morn- 
ing without  a  flaw,  and  he  took  no  heed  of  the  time,  until 
the  sound  of  the  church  bells  warned  him  of  the  lateness  of 
the  hour,  reminding  him  at  the  same  time  of  where  he 
should  be — where  he  would  be,  if  he  were  at  home  with 
Uncle  Daniel. 

In  the  mean  time  the  old  monkey  had  been  trying  to 
attract  his  young  master's  attention,  and,  failing  in  his  ef« 
forts,  he  came  down  from  the  tree,  crept  softly  up  to  Toby, 
and  nestled  his  head  under  the  boy's  arm. 

This  little  act  of  devotion  seemed  to  cause  Toby's  grief 
to  burst  forth  afresh,  and  clasping  the  monkey  around  the 
neck,  hugging  him  close  to  his  bosom,  he  sobbed, 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Stubbs,  Mr.  Stubbs,  how  lonesome  we  are !     If 


Ten  Weeks  with,  a  Circus.  109 

we  was  only  at  Uncle  Dan'l's  we'd  be  the  two  happiest 
people  in  all  this  world.  We  could  play  on  the  hay,  or  go 
up  to  the  pasture,  or  go  down  to  the  village ;  an'  I'd  work 
my  fingers  off  if  I  could  only  be  there  just  once  more.  It 
was  wicked  for  me  to  run  away,  an'  now  I'm  gettin'  paid 
for  it." 

He  hugged  the  monkey  closely,  swaying  his  body  to  and 
fro,  and  presenting  a  perfect  picture  of  grief.  The  monkey, 
not  knowing  what  to  make  of  this  changed  mood,  cow- 
ered whimperingly  in  his  arms,  looking  up  into  his  face, 
and  licking  the  boy's  hands  whenever  he  had  the  oppor- 
tunity. 

It  was  some  time  before  Toby's  grief  exhausted  itself; 
and  then,  still  clasping  the  monkey,  he  hurried  out  of  the 
woods  toward  the  town  and  the  now  thoroughly  hated  cir- 
cus tents. 

The  clocks  were  just  striking  one  as  Toby  entered  the 
enclosure  used  by  the  show  as  a  place  of  performance,  and, 
remembering  his  engagement  with  the  skeleton  and  his 
wife,  he  went  directly  to  their  tent  From  the  odors  which 
assailed  him  as  he  entered,  it  was  very  evident  that  a  feast 
of  no  mean  proportions  was  in  course  of  preparation,  and 
Toby's  keen  appetite  returned  in  full  vigor.  Even  the 
monkey  seemed  affected  by  the  odor,  for  he  danced  about 
on  liis  master's  shoulder,  and  chattered  so  that  Toby  was 


no  Toby  Tyler;  or% 

obliged  to  choke  him  a  little  in  order  to  make  him  present 
a  respectable  appearance. 

When  Toby  reached  the  interior  of  the  tent  he  was  as- 
tonished at  the  extent  of  the  preparations  that  were  being 
made,  and  gazed  around  him  in  surprise.  The  platform  on 
which  the  lean  man  and  fat  woman  were  in  the  habit  of 
exhibiting  themselves  now  bore  a  long  table,  loaded  with 
eatables ;  and,  from  the  fact  that  eight  or  ten  chairs  were 
ranged  around  it,  Toby  understood  that  he  was  not  the  only 
guest  invited  to  the  feast.  Some  little  attempt  had  also 
been  made  at  decoration  by  festooning  that  end  of  the  tent 
where  the  platform  was  placed  with  two  or  three  flags  and 
some  streamers,  and  the  tent -poles  also  were  fringed  with 
tissue-paper  of  the  brightest  colors. 

Toby  had  only  time  enough  to  notice  this  when  the 
skeleton  advanced  toward  him,  and,  with  the  liveliest  ap- 
pearance of  pleasure,  said,  as  he  took  him  by  the  hands  with 
a  grip  that  made  him  wince, 

"  It  gives  me  great  joy,  Mr.  Tyler,  to  welcome  you  at  one 
of  our  little  home  reunions,  if  one  can  call  a  tent,  that  is 
moved  every  day  in  the  week,  home." 

Toby  hardly  knew  whom  Mr.  Treat  referred  to  when  he 
said  "  Mr.  Tyler ;"  but  by  the  time  his  hands  were  released 
from  the  bony  grasp  he  understood  that  it  was  himself  who 
was  spoken  to. 


TOBY    IS    INTRODUCED   TO   THE    ALBINOS. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  1 1 3 

The  skeleton  then  formally  introduced  him  to  the  othe1 
guests  present,  who  were  sitting  at  one  end  of  the  tent, 
and  evidently  anxiously  awaiting  the  coming  feast. 

"  These,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  as  he  waved  his  hand  toward 
two  white-haired,  pink-eyed  young  ladies,  who  sat  with  their 
arms  twined  around  each  other's  waist,  and  had  been  eying 
the  monkey  with  some  appearance  of  fear,  "  are  the  Miss 
Cushings,  known  to  the  world  as  the  Albino  Children ;  they 
command  a  large  salary,  and  form  a  very  attractive  feature 
of  our  exhibition." 

The  young  ladies  arose  at  the  same  time,  as  if  they  had 
been  the  Siamese  Twins  and  could  not  act  independently 
of  each  other,  and  bowed. 

Toby  made  the  best  bow  he  was  capable  of;  and  the 
monkey  made  frantic  efforts  to  escape,  as  if  he  would  en- 
joy twisting  his  paws  in  their  perpendicular  hair. 

"And  this,"  continued  Mr.  Treat,  pointing  to  a  sickly, 
sour-looking  individual,  who  was  sitting  apart  from  the 
others,  with  his  arms  folded,  and  looking  as  if  he  was  count- 
ing the  very  seconds  before  the  dinner  should  begin, "  is  the 
wonderful  Sign  or  Castro,  whose  sword-swallowing  feats  you 
have  doubtless  heard  of." 

Toby  stepped  back  just  one  step,  as  if  overwhelmed  by 
awe  at  beholding  the  signor  in  the  guise  of  a  humble  in- 
dividual; and  the  gentleman  who  gained  his  livelihood  by 


H4  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

swallowing  swords  unbent  his  dignity  so  far  as  to  unfold 
his  arms  and  present  a  very  dirty-looking  hand  for  Toby  to 
shake.  The  boy  took  hold  of  the  outstretched  hand,  won- 
dering why  the  signor  never  used  soap  and  water ;  and  Mr. 
Stubbs,  apparently  afraid  of  the  sour-looking  man,  retreated 
to  Toby's  shoulder,  where  he  sat  chattering  and  scolding 
about  the  introduction. 

Again  the  skeleton  waved  his  hand,  and  this  time  he  in- 
troduced "  Mademoiselle  Spelletti,  the  wonderful  snake- 
charmer,  whose  exploits  in  this  country,  and  before  the 
crowned  heads  of  Europe,  had  caused  the  whole  world  to 
stand  aghast  at  her  daring." 

Mademoiselle  Spelletti  was  a  very  ordinary-looking  young 
lady  of  about  twenty -five  years  of  age,  who  looked  very 
much  as  if  her  name  might  originally  have  been  Murphy, 
and  she  too  extended  a  hand  for  Toby  to  grasp — only  her 
hand  was  clean,  and  she  appeared  to  be  a  very  much  more 
pleasant  acquaintance  than  the  gentleman  who  swallowed 
swords. 

This  ended  the  introductions;  arid  Toby  was  just  look- 
ing around  for  a  seat,  when  Mrs.  Treat,  the  fat  lady,  and 
the  giver  of  the  feast  which  was  about  to  come,  and  which 
already  smelled  so  invitingly,  entered  from  behind  a  cur- 
tain of  canvas,  where  the  cooking -stove  was  supposed  to 
be  located. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  115 

She  had  every  appearance  of  being  the  cook  for  the  oc- 
casion. Her  sleeves  were  rolled  up,  her  hair  tumbled  and 
frowzy,  and  there  were  several  unmistakable  marks  of 
grease  on  the  front  of  her  calico  dress. 

She  waited  for  no  ceremony,  but  rushed  up  to  Toby,  and 
taking  him  in  her  arms,  gave  him  such  a  squeeze  that  there 
seemed  to  be  every  possibility  that  she  would  break  all  the 
bones  in  his  body ;  and  she  kept  him  so  long  in  this  bear- 
like  embrace  that  Mr.  Stubbs  reached  his  little  brown  paws 
over  and  got  such  a  hold  of  her  hair  that  all  present,  save 
Signor  Castro,  rushed  forward  to  release  her  from  the 
monkey's  grasp. 

"  You  dear  little  thing !"  said  Mrs.  Treat,  paying  but  slight 
attention  to  the  hair  -  pulling  she  had  just  undergone,  and 
holding  Toby  at  arm's-length,  so  that  she  could  look  into  his 
face,  "  you  were  so  late  that  I  was  afraid  you  wasn't  com- 
ing ;  and  my  dinner  wouldn't  have  tasted  half  so  good  if  you 
hadn't  been  here  to  eat  some." 

Toby  hardty  knew  what  to  say  for  this  hearty  welcome, 
but  he  managed  to  tell  the  large  and  kind-hearted  lady  that 
he  had  had  no  idea  of  missing  the  dinner,  and  that  he  was 
very  glad  she  wanted  him  to  come. 

"  Want  you  to  come,  you  dear  little  thing !"  she  exclaim- 
ed, as  she  gave  him  another  hug,  but  careful  not  to  give  Mr. 
Stubbs  a  chance  of  grasping  her  hair  again.  "  Of  course  I 


1 1 6  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

wanted  you  to  come,  for  this  dinner  has  been  got  up  so  that 
you  could  meet  these  people  here,  and  so  that  they  could  see 
you." 

Toby  was  entirely  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say  to 
this  overwhelming  compliment,  and  for  that  reason  did  not 
say  anything,  only  submitting  patiently  to  the  third  hug, 
which  was  all  Mrs.  Treat  had  time  to  give  him,  as  she  was 
obliged  to  rush  behind  the  canvas  screen  again,  as  there 
were  unmistakable  sounds  of  something  boiling  over  on 
the  stove. 

"You'll  excuse  me,"  said  the  skeleton,  with  an  air  of 
dignity,  waving  his  hand  once  more  toward  the  assembled 
company,  "  but,  while  introducing  you  to  Mr.  Tyler,  I  had 
almost  forgotten  to  introduce  him  to  you.  This,  ladies  and 
gentlemen  " — and  here  he  touched  Toby  on  the  shoulder,  as 
if  he  were  some  living  curiosity  whose  habits  and  mode  of 
capture  he  was  about  to  explain  to  a  party  of  spectators — 
"is  Mr.  Toby  Tyler,  of  whom  you  heard  on  the  night  when 
the  monkey  cage  was  smashed,  and  who  now  carries  with 
him  the  identical  monkey  which  was  presented  to  him  by 
the  manager  of  this  great  show  as  a  token  of  esteem  for  his 
skill  and  bravery  in  capturing  the  entire  lot  of  monkeys 
without  a  single  blow." 

By  the  time  that  Mr.  Treat  got  through  with  this  long 
speech  Toby  felt  very  much  as  if  he  were  some  wonderful 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  1 1 7 

creatnre  whom  the  skeleton  was  exhibiting;  but  he  man- 
aged to  rise  to  his  feet  and  duck  his  little  red  head  in  his 
best  imitation  of  a  bow.  Then  he  sat  down  and  hugged 
Mr.  Stubbs  to  cover  his  confusion. 

One  of  the  Albino  Children  now  came  forward,  and, 
while  stroking  Mr.  Stubbs's  hair,  looked  so  intently  at  Toby 
that  for  the  life  of  him  he  couldn't  say  which  she  regarded 
as  the  curiosity,  himself  or  the  monkey ;  therefore  he  hast- 
ened to  say,  modestly, 

"I  didn't  do  much  toward  catchin'  the  monkeys;  Mr. 
Stubbs  here  did  almost  all  of  it,  an'  I  only  led  'em  in." 

"  There,  there,  my  boy,"  said  the  skeleton,  in  a  fatherly 
tone,  "  I've  heard  the  whole  story  from  Old  Ben,  an'  I 
sha'n't  let  you  get  out  of  it  like  that.  We  all  know  what 
you  did,  an'  it's  no  use  for  you  to  deny  any  part  of  it." 


CHAPTER  X. 

MR.  STUBBS  AT  A  PARTY. 

"OBY  was  about  to  say  that  he  did  not  intend  to 
represent  the  matter  other  than  it  really  was,  when 
a  voice  from  behind  the  canvas  screen  arrested  fur- 
ther conversation. 
"  Sam-n-el,  come  an'  help  me  carry  these  things  in." 
Something  very  like  a  smile  of  satisfaction  passed  over 
Signor  Castro's  face  as  he  heard  this,  which  told  him  that 
the  time  for  the  feast  was   near  at  hand;  and  the  snake- 
charmer,  as  well  as  the  Albino  Children,  seemed  quite  as 
much  pleased  as  did  the  sword-swallower. 

"You  will  excuse  me,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  said  the 
skeleton,  in  an  important  tone;  "I  must  help  Lilly,  and 
then  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  helping  you  to  some  of  her 
cooking,  which,  if  I  do  say  it,  that  oughtn't,  is  as  good  as 
can  be  found  in  this  entire  country." 

Then  he  too  disappeared  behind  the  canvas  screen. 
Left  alone,  Toby  looked   at   the  ladies,  and   the  ladies 
looked  at  him,  in  perfect  silence,  while  the  sword-swallower 


Ten  Weeks  with,  a  Circus.  \  1 9 

grimly  regarded  them  all,  until  Mr.  Treat  reappeared,  bear- 
ing on  a  platter  an  immense  turkey,  as  nicely  browned  as  any 
Thanksgiving  turkey  Toby  ever  saw.  Behind  him  came  his 
tat  wife,  carrying  several  dishes,  each  of  which  emitted  a 
most  fragrant  odor;  and  as  these  were  placed  upon  the 
table  the  spirits  of  the  sword-swallower  seemed  to  revive, 
and  he  smiled  pleasantly ;  while  even  the  ladies  appeared 
animated  by  the  sight  and  odor  of  the  good  things  which 
they  were  to  be  called  upon  so  soon  to  pass  judgment. 

Several  times  did  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treat  bustle  in  and  out 
from  behind  the  screen,  and  each  time  they  made  some  ad- 
dition to  that  which  was  upon  the  table,  until  Toby  began  to 
fear  that  they  would  never  finish,  and  the  sword-swallower 
seemed  unable  to  restrain  his  impatience. 

At  last  the  finishing  touch  had  been  put  to  the  table,  the 
last  dish  placed  in  position,  and  then,  with  a  certain  kind  of 
grace,  which  no  one  but  a  man  as  thin  as  Mr.  Treat  could 
assume,  he  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  platform  and  said, 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  nothing  gives  me  greater  pleasure 
than  to  invite  you  all,  including  Mr.  Tyler's  friend  Stubbs, 
to  the  bountiful  repast  which  my  Lilly  has  prepared  for — 

At  this  point,  Mr.  Treat's  speech — for  it  certainly  seemed 
as  if  he  had  commenced  to  make  one — was  broken  off  in  a 
most  summary  manner.  His  wife  had  come  up  behind  him, 
and,  with  as  much  ease  as  if  he  had  been  a  child,  lifted  him 


I2O  Toby  Tyler;  or> 

from  off  the  floor  and  placed  him  gently  in  the  chair  at  the 
head  of  the  table. 

"  Come  right  up  and  get  dinner,"  she  said  to  her  guests. 
>l  If  you  had  waited  until  Samuel  had  finished  his  speech 
everything  on  the  table  would  have  been  stone-cold." 

The  guests  proceeded  to  obey  her  kindly  command  ;  and 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  sword-swal lower  had  no  better 
manners  than  to  jump  on  to  the  platform  with  one  bound 
and  seat  himself  at  the  table  with  the  most  unseemly  haste. 
The  others,  and  more  especially  Toby,  proceeded  in  a  lei- 
surely and  more  dignified  manner. 

A  seat  had  been  placed  by  the  side  of  the  one  intended 
for  Toby  for  the  accommodation  of  Mr.  Stubbs,  who  suf- 
fered a  napkin  to  be  tied  under  his  chin,  and  behaved  gen- 
erally in  a  manner  that  gladdened  the  heart  of  his  young 
master. 

Mr.  Treat  cut  generous  slices  from  the  turkey  for  each 
guest,  and  Mrs.  Treat  piled  their  plates  high  with  all  sorts 
of  vegetables,  complaining,  after  the  manner  of  housewives 
generally,  that  the  food  was  not  cooked  as  she  would  like  to 
have  had  it,  and  declaring  that  she  had  had  poor  luck  with 
everything  that  morning,  when  she  firmly  believed  in  her 
heart  that  her  table  had  never  looked  better. 

After  the  company  had  had  the  edge  taken  off  their  appe- 
tites— which  effect  was  produced  on  the  sword-swallowe**  only 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  121 

after  he  had  been  helped  three  different  times,  the  conver- 
sation began  by  the  Fat  Woman  asking  Toby  how  he  got 
along  with  Mr.  Lord. 

Toby  could  not  give  a  very  good  account  of  his  employ- 
er, but  he  had  the  good  sense  not  to  cast  a  damper  on  a 
party  of  pleasure  by  reciting  his  own  troubles ;  so  he  said, 
evasively, 

"  I  guess  I  shall  get  along  pretty  well,  now  that  I  have  got 
so  many  friends." 

Just  as  he  had  commenced  to  speak  the  skeleton  had  put 
into  his  mouth  a  very  large  piece  of  turkey — very  much 
larger  in  proportion  than  himself — and  when  Toby  had 
finished  speaking  he  started  to  say  something  evidently 
not  very  complimentary  to  Mr.  Lord.  But  what  it  was  the 
company  never  knew;  for  just  as  he  opened  his  mouth  to 
speak,  the  food  went  down  the  wrong  way,  his  face  be- 
came a  bright  purple,  and  it  was  quite  evident  that  he  was 
choking. 

Toby  was  alarmed,  and  sprung  from  his  chair  to  assist  his 
friend,  upsetting  Mr.  Stubbs  from  his  seat,  causing  him  to 
scamper  up  the  tent-pole,  with  the  napkin  still  tied  around 
his  neck,  and  to  scold  in  his  most  vehement  manner.  Before 
Toby  could  reach  the  skeleton,  however,  the  Fat  Woman  had 
darted  toward  her  lean  husband,  caught  him  by  the  arm, 
and  was  pounding  his  back,  by  the  time  Toby  got  there,  so 


122  Toby  Tyler;  or> 

vigorously,  that  the  boy  was  afraid  her  enormous  hand  would 
go  through  his  tissue-paper-like  frame. 

"I  wouldn't,"  said  Toby,  in  alarm;  "you  may  break 
him." 

"  Don't  you  get  frightened,"  said  Mrs.  Treat,  turning  her 
husband  completely  over,  and  still  continuing  the  drumming 
process.  "He's  often  taken  this  way;  he's  such  a  glutton 
that  he'd  try  to  swallow  the  turkey  whole  if  he  could  get  it 
in  his  mouth,  an'  he's  so  thin  that  'most  anything  sticks  in 
his  throat." 

"  I  should  think  you'd  break  him  all  up,"  said  Toby,  apol- 
ogetically, AS  he  resumed  his  seat  at  the  table ;  "  he  don'i: 
look  as  if  he  could  stand  very  much  of  that  sort  of  thing." 

But  apparently  Mr.  Treat  could  stand  very  much  more 
than  Toby  gave  him  credit  for,  because  at  this  juncture 
he  stopped  coughing,  and  his  face  fast  assumed  its  natural 
hue. 

His  attentive  wife,  seeing  that  he  had  ceased  struggling, 
lifted  him  in  her  arms,  and  sat  him  down  in  his  chair  with 
a  force  that  threatened  to  snap  his  very  head  off. 

"  There  1"  she  said,  as  he  wheezed  a  little  from  the  effects 
of  the  shock,  "  now  see  if  you  can  behave  yourself,  an'  chew 
your  meat  as  you  ought  to  1  One  of  these  days  when  you're 
alone  you'll  try  that  game,  and  that  '11  be  the  last  of  you." 

"  If  he'd  try  to  do  one  of  my  tricks  long  enough  he'd  get 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  123 

so  that  there  wouldn't  hardly  anything  choke  him,"  the 
sword-swallower  ventured  to  suggest,  mildly,  as  he  wiped  a 
small  stream  of  cranberry-sauce  from  his  chin  and  laid  a 
well-polished  turkey-bone  by  the  side  of  his  plate. 

"  I'd  like  to  see  him  try  it!"  said  the  fat  lady,  with  just  a 
shade  of  anger  in  her  voice.  Then  turning  toward  her  hus- 
band, she  said,  emphatically, "  Samuel,  don't  you  ever  let  me 
catch  you  swallowing  a  sword !" 

"  I  won't,  my  love,  I  won't ;  and  I  will  try  to  chew  my 
meat  more,"  replied  the  very  thin  glutton,  in  a  feeble  tone. 

Toby  thought  that  perhaps  the  skeleton  might  keep  the 
first  part  of  that  promise,  but  he  was  not  quite  sure  about 
the  last. 

It  required  no  little  coaxing  on  the  part  of  both  Toby  and 
Mrs.  Treat  to  induce  Mr.  Stubbs  to  come  down  from  his  lof- 
ty perch ;  but  the  task  was  accomplished  at  last,  and  by  the 
gift  of  a  very  large  doughnut  he  was  induced  to  resume  his 
seat  at  the  table. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  the  duties  of  a  host,  in  his 
own  peculiar  way  of  viewing  them,  devolved  upon  Mr.  Treat, 
and  he  said,  as  he  pushed  his  chair  back  a  short  distance 
from  the  table,  and  tried  to  polish  the  front  of  his  vest  with 
his  napkin, 

"  I  don't  want  this  fact  lost  sight  of,  because  it  is  an  im- 
portant one :  every  one  must  remember  that  we  have  gath< 


124  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

ered  here  to  meet  and  become  better  acquainted  with  the 
latest  and  best  addition  to  this  circus,  Mr.  Toby  Tyler." 

Poor  Toby  !  As  the  company  all  looked  directly  at  him, 
and  Mrs.  Treat  nodded  her  enormous  head  energetically,  as 
if  to  say  that  she  agreed  exactly  with  her  husband,  the  poor 
boy's  face  grew  very  red  and  the  squash-pie  lost  its  flavor. 

"  Although  Mr.  Tyler  may  not  be  exactly  one  of  us,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  he  does  not  belong  to  the  profession,  but  is 
only  one  of  the  adjuncts  to  it,  so  to  speak,"  continued  the 
skeleton,  in  a  voice  which  was  fast  being  raised  to  its  high- 
est pitch,  "  we  feel  proud,  after  his  exploits  at  the  time  of 
the  accident,  to  have  him  with  us,  and  gladly  welcome  him 
now,  through  the  medium  of  this  little  feast  prepared  by 
my  Lilly." 

Here  the  Albino  Children  nodded  their  heads  in  approval, 
and  the  sword-swal lower  gave  a  grunt  of  assent ;  and,  thus 
encouraged,  the  skeleton  proceeded  : 

"  I  feel,  when  I  say  that  we  like  and  admire  Mr.  Tyler,  all 
present  will  agree  with  me,  and  all  would  like  to  hear  him 
say  a  word  for  himself." 

The  skeleton  seemed  to  have  expressed  the  views  of  those 
present  remarkably  well,  judging  from  their  expressions  of 
pleasure  and  assent,  and  all  waited  for  the  honored  guest  to 
speak. 

Toby  knew  that  he  must  say  something,  but  he  couldn't 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  125 

think  of  a  single  thing ;  he  tried  over  and  over  again  to  call 
to  his  mind  something  which  he  had  read  as  to  how  people 
acted  and  what  they  said  when  they  were  expected  to  speak 
at  a  dinner-table,  but  his  thoughts  refused  to  go  back  for 
him,  and  the  silence  was  actually  becoming  painful.  Final- 
ly,  and  with  the  greatest  effort,  he  managed  to  say,  with  a 
very  perceptible  stammer,  and  while  his  face  was  growing 
very  red: 

"  I  know  I  ought  to  say  something  to  pay  for  this  big  din- 
ner that  you  said  was  gotten  up  for  me,  but  I  don't  know 
what  to  say,  unless  to  thank  you  for  it.  You  see  I  hain't 
big  enough  to  say  much,  an',  as  Uncle  Dan'l  says,  I  don't 
amount  to  very  much  'cept  for  eatin',  an'  I  guess  he's  right. 
You're  all  real  good  to  me,  an'  when  I  get  to  be  a  man  I'll 
try  to  do  as  much  for  you." 

Toby  had  risen  to  his  feet  when  he  began  to  make  his 
speech,  and  while  he  was  speaking  Mr.  Stubbs  had  crawled 
over  into  his  chair.  When  he  finished  he  sat  down  again 
without  looking  behind  him,  and  of  course  sat  plump  on  the 
monkey.  There  was  a  loud  outcry  from  Mr.  Stubbs,  a  little 
frightened  noise  from  Toby,  an  instant's  scrambling,  and 
then  boy,  monkey,  and  chair  tumbled  off  the  platform,  land- 
ing on  the  ground  in  an  indescribable  mass,  from  which  the 
monkey  extricated  himself  more  quickly  than  Toby  could, 
and  again  took  refuge  on  the  top  of  the  tent-pole. 


126  Toby  Tyler;  0r, 

Of  course  all  the  guests  ran  to  Toby's  assistance ;  and 
while  the  Fat  Woman  poked  him  all  over  to  see  that  none 
of  his  bones  were  broken,  the  skeleton  brushed  the  dirt 
from  his  clothes. 

All  this  time  the  monkey  screamed,  yelled,  and  danced 
around  on  the  tent-pole  and  ropes  as  if  his  feelings  had  re- 
ceived a  shock  from  which  he  could  never  recover. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  end  it  up  that  way,  but  it  was  Mr. 
Stubbs's  fault,"  said  Toby,  as  soon  as  quiet  had  been  re- 
stored, and  the  guests,  with  the  exception  of  the  monkey, 
were  seated  at  the  table  once  more. 

"  Of  course  you  didn't,"  said  Mrs.  Treat,  in  a  kindly  tone. 
u  But  don't  you  feel  bad  about  it  one  bit,  for  you  ought  to 
thank  your  lucky  stars  that  you  didn't  break  any  of  your 
bones." 

"  I  s'pose  I  did,"  said  Toby,  soberly,  as  he  looked  back  at 
the  scene  of  his  disaster,  and  then  up  at  the  chattering  mon- 
key that  had  caused  all  the  trouble. 

Shortly  after  this,  Mr.  Stubbs  having  again  been  coaxed 
down  from  his  lofty  position,  Toby  took  his  departure,  prom- 
ising to  call  as  often  during  the  week  as  he  could  get  away 
from  his  exacting  employers. 

Just  outside  the  tent  he  met  Old  Ben,  who  said,  as  he 
showed  signs  of  indulging  in  another  of  his  internal  laugh- 
ing spells  J 


TOBY   SITS   DOWN   ON  ME.  STUBBS. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  129 

"  Hello !  has  the  skeleton  an'  his  lily  of  a  wife  been  givin' 
a  blow-out  to  you  too  f 

"  They  invited  me  in  there  to  dinner,"  said  Tofr  ,  mod- 
estly. 

"Of  course  they  did — of  course  they  did,"  replied  Ben, 
with  a  chuckle;  "they  carries  a  cookin'-stove  along  with 
'em,  so 's  they  can  give  these  little  spreads  whenever  we  stay 
over  a  day  in  a  place.  Oh,  I've  been  there !" 

"  And  did  they  ask  you  to  make  a  speech  ?" 

"  Of  course.     Did  they  try  it  on  you  T 

"  Yes,"  said  Toby,  mournfully,  "  an'  I  tumbled  off  the 
platform  when  I  got  through." 

"I  didn't  do  exactly  that,"  replied  Ben,  thoughtfully; 
"  but  I  s'pose  you  got  too  much  steam  on,  seein'  's  how  it 
was  likely  your  first  speech.  Now  you'd  better  go  into  the 
tent  an'  try  to  get  a  little  sleep,  'cause  we've  got  a  long  ride 
to-night  over  a  rough  road,  an'  you  won't  get  more'n  a  cat- 
nap all  night." 

"  But  where  are  you  going  2"  asked  Toby,  as  he  shifted 
Mr.  Stubbs  over  to  his  other  shoulder,  preparatory  to  follow- 
ing his  friend's  advice. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  church,"  said  Ben,  and  then  Toby  noticed 
for  the  first  time  that  the  old  driver  had  made  some  attempt 
at  dressing-up.  "  I've  been  with  the  circus,  man  an'  boy,  for 
nigh  to  forty  years,  an'  I  allus  go  to  meetin'  once  on  Sunday. 


130  Toby  Tyler 

It's  somethin'  I  promised  my  old  mother  I  would  do,  an'  I 
hain't  broke  my  promise  yet." 

"  "W  hy  don't  you  take  me  with  you  2"  asked  Toby,  wist- 
fully, as  he  thought  of  the  little  church  on  the  hill  at  home, 
and  wished — oh,  so  earnestly ! — that  he  was  there  then,  even 
at  the  risk  of  being  thumped  on  the  head  with  Uncle  Dan- 
iel's book. 

"  If  I'd  seen  you  this  mornin'  I  would,"  said  Ben ;  "  bu* 
now  you  must  try  to  bottle  up  some  sleep  agin  to-night,  an 
next  Sunday  I'll  take  you." 

With  these  words  Old  Ben  started  off,  and  Toby  proceeded 
to  carry  out  his  wishes,  although  he  rather  doubted  the  pos- 
sibility of  "bottling  up"  any  sleep  that  afternoon. 

He  lay  down  on  the  top  of  the  wagon,  after  having  put 
Mr.  Stubbs  inside,  with  the  others  of  his  tribe,  and  in  a  very 
few  moments  the  boy  was  sound  asleep,  dreaming  of  a  din- 
ner-party at  which  Mr.  Stubbs  made  a  speech,  and  he  him- 
self scampered  up  and  down  the  tent-pole. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A    STOKMY    NIGHT. 

Toby  awoke  it  was  nearly  dark,  and  the 
bustle  around  him  told  very  plainly  that  the  time 
for  departure  was  near  at  hand.  He  rubbed 
his  eyes  just  enough  to  make  sure  that  he  was 
thoroughly  awake,  and  then  jumped  down  from  his  rather 
lofty  bed,  and  ran  around  to  the  door  of  the  cage  to  assure 
himself  that  Mr.  Stubbs  was  safe.  This  done,  his  prepara- 
tions for  the  journey  were  made. 

Now,  Toby  noticed  that  each  one  of  the  drivers  was  clad 
in  rubber  clothing,  and,  after  listening  for  a  moment,  he 
learned  the  cause  of  their  water -proof  garments.  It  was 
raining  very  hard,  and  Toby  thought  with  dismay  of  the 
long  ride  that  he  would  have  to  take  on  the  top  of  the 
monkeys'  cage,  with  no  protection  whatever  save  that  af- 
forded by  his  ordinary  clothing. 

While  he  was  standing  by  the  side  of  the  wagon,  wonder 
ing  how  he  should  get  along,  Old  Ben  came  in.  The  water 
was  pouring  from  his  clothes  in  little  rivulets,  and  he  af- 


132  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

forded  most  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  damp  state  of 
the  weather. 

"  It's  a  nasty  night,  my  boy,"  said  the  old  driver,  in  much 
the  same  cheery  tone  that  he  would  have  used  had  he  been 
informing  Toby  that  it  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  evening. 

"  I  guess  I'll  get  wet,"  said  Toby,  ruefully,  as  he  looked 
up  at  the  lofty  seat  which  he  was  to  occupy. 

"Bless  me!"  said  Ben,  as  if  the  thought  had  just  come 
to  him, "  it  won't  do  for  you  to  ride  outside  on  a  night  like 
this.  You  wait  here,  an'  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  for  you." 

The  old  man  hurried  off  to  the  other  end  of  the  tent,  and 
almost  before  Toby  thought  he  had  time  to  go  as  far  as  the 
ring  he  returned. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said,  and  this  time  in  a  gruff  voice, 
as  if  he  were  announcing  some  misfortune ;  "  you're  to  ride 
in  the  women's  wagon.  Come  with  me." 

Toby  followed  without  a  question,  though  he  was  wholly 
at  a  loss  to  understand  what  the  "  women's  wagon "  was, 
for  he  had  never  seen  anything  which  looked  like  one. 

He  soon  learned,  however,  when  Old  Ben  stopped  in 
front — or,  rather,  at  the  end — of  a  long  covered  wagon  that 
looked  like  an  omnibus,  except  that  it  was  considerably 
longer,  and  the  seats  inside  were  divided  by  arms,  padded, 
to  make  them  comfortable  to  lean  against. 

"  Here's  the  boy,"  said  Ben,  as  he  lifted  Toby  up  on  the 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  133 

etep,  gave  him  a  gentle  push  to  intimate  that  he  was  to  get 
inside,  arid  then  left  him. 

As  Toby  stepped  inside  he  saw  that  the  wagon  was  near- 
ly full  of  women  and  children ;  and  fearing  lest  he  should 
take  a  seat  that  belonged  to  some  one  else,  he  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  wagon,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

"  Why  don't  you  sit  down,  little  boy  ?"  asked  one  of  the 
ladies,  after  Toby  had  remained  standing  nearly  five  min- 
utes and  the  wagon  was  about  to  start. 

"  Well,"  said  Toby,  with  some  hesitation,  as  he  looked 
around  at  the  two  or  three  empty  seats  that  remained, "  I 
didn't  want  to  get  in  anybody  else's  place,  an'  I  didn't 
know  where  to  sit." 

"Come  right  here,"  said  the  lady,  as  she  pointed  to  a 
seat  by  the  side  of  a  little  girl  who  did  not  look  any  older 
than  Toby;  "the  lady  who  usually  occupies  that  seat  will 
not  be  here  to-night,  and  you  can  have  it." 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am,"  said  Toby,  as  he  sat  timidly  down 
on  the  edge  of  the  seat,  hardly  daring  to  sit  back  comfort- 
ably, and  feeling  very  awkward  meanwhile,  but  congratu- 
lating himself  on  being  thus  protected  from  the  pouring 
rain. 

The  wagon  started,  and  as  each  one  talked  with  her 
neighbor,  Toby  felt  a  most  dismal  sense  of  loneliness,  and 
almost  wished  that  he  was  riding  on  the  monkey-cart  with 


134  Toby  Tyler;  or* 

Ben,  where  he  could  have  some  one  to  talk  with.  He  grad« 
ually  pushed  himself  back  into  a  more  comfortable  posi- 
tion, and  had  then  an  opportunity  of  seeing  more  plainly 
the  young  girl  who  rode  by  his  side. 

She  was  quite  as  young  as  Toby,  and  small  of  her  age ; 
but  there  was  an  old  look  about  her  face  that  made  the  boy 
think  of  her  as  being  an  old  woman  cut  down  to  fit  chil- 
dren's clothes.  Toby  had  looked  at  her  so  earnestly  that 
she  observed  him,  and  asked, "  What  is  your  name?" 

"Toby  Tyler." 

"  What  do  you  do  in  the  circus  ?" 

"  Sell  candy  for  Mr.  Lord." 

"Oh!  I  thought  you  was  a  new  member  of  the  company ." 

Toby  knew  by  the  tone  of  her  voice  that  he  had  fallen 
considerably  in  her  estimation  by  not  being  one  of  the 
performers,  and  it  was  some  little  time  before  he  ventured 
to  speak ;  and  then  he  asked,  timidly, "  What  do  you  do  2" 

"  I  ride  one  of  the  horses  with  mother." 

"  Are  you  the  little  girl  that  comes  out  with  the  lady  an* 
four  horses  ?"  asked  Toby,  in  awe  that  he  should  be  con- 
versing with  so  famous  a  person. 

"  Yes,  I  am.    Don't  I  do  it  nicely  f 

"  Why,  you're  a  perfect  little — little — fairy  I"  exclaimed 
Toby,  after  hesitating  a  moment  to  find  some  word  which 
would  exactly  express  his  idea. 


tOBY  IN  THE   "WOMEN'S  WAttOH. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  137 

This  praise  seemed  to  please  the  young  lady,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  two  became  very  good  friends,  even  if  Toby 
did  not  occupy  a  more  exalted  position  than  that  of  candy- 
seller.  She  had  learned  from  him  all  about  the  accident 
to  the  monkey-cage,  and  about  Mr.  Stubbs,  and  in  return 
had  told  him  that  her  name  was  Ella  Mason,  though  on  the 
bills  she  was  called  "  Mademoiselle  Jeaimette." 

For  a  long  time  the  two  children  sat  talking  together, 
and  then  Mademoiselle  Jeannette  curled  herself  up  on  the 
seat,  with  her  head  in  her  mother's  lap,  and  went  to  sleep. 

Toby  had  resolved  to  keep  awake  and  watch  her,  for  he 
was  struck  with  admiration  at  her  face ;  but  sleep  got  the 
better  of  him  in  less  than  five  minutes  after  he  had  made 
the  resolution,  and  he  sat  bolt-upright,  with  his  little  round 
head  nodding  and  bobbing  until  it  seemed  almost  certain 
that  he  would  shake  it  off. 

When  Toby  awoke  the  wagon  was  drawn  up  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  preparations 
were  being  made  for  the  entree  into  town,  and  the  harsh 
voice  of  Mr.  Job  Lord  was  shouting  his  name  in  a  tone 
that  boded  no  good  for  poor  Toby  when  he  should  make 
his  appearance. 

Toby  would  have  hesitated  before  meeting  his  angry  em- 
ployer but  that  he  knew  it  would  only  make  matters  worse 
for  him  when  he  did  show  himself,  and  he  mentally  braced 


138  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

himself  for  the  trouble  which  he  knew  was  coming.  The 
little  girl  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  the  night  pre- 
vious was  still  sleeping;  and,  wishing  to  say  good-bye  to  her 
in  some  way  without  awakening  her,  he  stooped  down  and 
gently  kissed  the  skirt  of  her  dress.  Then  he  went  out  to 
meet  his  master. 

Mr  Lord  was  thoroughly  enraged  when  Toby  left  the 
wagon,  and  saw  the  boy  just  as  he  stepped  to  the  ground, 
The  angry  man  gave  a  quick  glance  around,  to  make 
sure  that  none  of  Toby's  friends  were  in  sight,  and  then 
caught  him  by  the  coat -collar  and  commenced  to  whip 
him  severely  with  the  small  rubber  cane  that  he  usually 
carried. 

Mr.  Job  Lord  lifted  the  poor  boy  entirely  clear  of  the 
ground,  and  each  blow  that  he  struck  could  be  heard  al- 
most the  entire  length  of  the  circus  train. 

"You've  been  makin'  so  many  acquaintances  here  that 
you  hain't  willin'  to  do  any  work,"  he  said,  savagely,  as  he 
redoubled  the  force  of  his  blows. 

tt  Oh,  please  stop  I  please  stop !"  shrieked  the  poor  boy 
in  his  agony.  "  I'll  do  everything  you  tell  me  to,  if  you 
won't  strike  me  again  !" 

This  piteous  appeal  seemed  to  have  no  effect  upon  the 
cruel  man,  and  he  continued  to  whip  the  boy,  despite  his 
cries  and  entreaties,  until  his  arm  fairly  ached  from  the 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  139 

exertion,  and  Toby's  body  was  crossed  and  recrossed  with 
the  livid  marks  of  the  cane. 

"Now,  let's  see  whether  you'll  'tend  to  your  work  or 
not !"  said  the  man  as  he  flung  Toby  from  him  with  such 
force  that  the  boy  staggered,  reeled,  and  nearly  fell  into  the 
little  brook  that  flowed  by  the  roadside.  "I'll  make  you 
understand  that  all  the  friends  you've  whined  around  in 
this  show  can't  save  you  from  a  lickin'  when  I  get  ready  to 
give  you  one!  Now  go  an'  do  your  work  that  ought  to 
have  been  done  an  hour  ago !" 

Mr.  Lord  walked  away  with  the  proud  consciousness  of 
a  man  who  has  achieved  a  great  victory,  and  Toby  was 
limping  painfully  along  toward  the  cart  that  was  used  in 
conveying  Mr.  Lord's  stock-in-trade,  when  he  felt  a  tiny 
hand  slip  into  his,  and  heard  a  childish  voice  say, 

"  Don't  cry,  Toby.  Some  time,  when  I  get  big  enough, 
I'll  make  Mr.  Lord  sorry  that  he  whipped  you  as  he  did ; 
and  I'm  big  enough  now  to  tell  him  just  what  kind  of  a 
man  I  think  he  is." 

Looking  around,  Toby  saw  his  little  acquaintance  of  the 
evening  previous,  and  he  tried  to  force  back  the  big  tears 
that  were  rolling  down  his  cheeks  as  he  said,  in  a  voice 
choked  with  grief,  "  You're  awful  good,  an'  I  don't  mind 
the  lickin'  when  you  say  you're  sorry  for  me.  I  s'pose  I 
deserve  it  for  runnin'  away  from  Uncle  Dan'l." 


140  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

"  Did  it  hurt  you  much  ?"  she  asked,  feelingly. 

"It  did  when  he  was  doin'  it,"  replied  Toby,  manfully, 
"  but  it  don't  a  bit  now  that  you've  come." 

"  Then  I'll  go  and  talk  to  that  Mr.  Lord,  and  I'll  come 
and  see  you  again  after  we  get  into  town,"  said  the  little 
miss,  as  she  hurried  away  to  tell  the  candy  vender  what 
she  thought  of  him. 

That  day,  as  on  all  others  since  he  had  been  with  the 
circus,  Toby  went  to  his  work  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  time 
and  time  again  did  he  count  the  money  which  had  been 
given  him  by  kind-hearted  strangers,  to  see  whether  he  had 
enough  to  warrant  his  attempting  to  run  away.  Three  dol- 
lars and  twenty-five  cents  was  the  total  amount  of  his  treas- 
ure, and,  large  as  that  sum  appeared  to  him,  he  could  not 
satisfy  himself  that  he  had  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  get 
back  to  the  home  which  he  had  so  wickedly  left.  When- 
ever he  thought  of  this  home,  of  the  Uncle  Daniel  who  had 
in  charity  cared  for  him — a  motherless,  fatherless  boy — and 
of  returning  to  it,  with  not  even  as  much  right  as  the  Prod- 
igal Son,  of  whom  he  had  heard  Uncle  Daniel  tell,  his  heart 
s-unk  within  him,  and  he  doubted  whether  he  would  be  al- 
lowed to  remain  even  if  he  should  be  so  fortunate  as  ever 
to  reach  Guilford  again. 

This  day  passed,  so  far  as  Toby  was  concerned,  very 
much  as  had  the  others :  he  could  not  satisfy  either  of  his 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  141 

employers,  try  as  hard  as  he  might;  but,  as  usual,  he  met 
with  two  or  three  kindly-disposed  people,  who  added  to  the 
fund  that  he  was  accumulating  for  his  second  venture  of 
running  away  by  little  gifts  of  money,  each  one  of  which 
gladdened  his  heart  and  made  his  trouble  a  trifle  less  hard 
to  bear. 

During  the  entire  week  he  was  thus  equally  fortunate. 
Each  day  added  something  to  his  fund,  and  each  night  it 
seemed  to  Toby  that  he  was  one  day  nearer  the  freedom 
for  which  he  so  ardently  longed. 

The  skeleton,  the  fat  lady,  Old  Ben,  the  Albino  Children, 
little  Ella,  and  even  the  sword  -  swallo  we  r,  all  gave  him  a 
kindly  word  as  they  passed  him  while  he  was  at  his  work, 
or  saw  him  as  the  preparations  for  the  grand  entrde  were 
being  made. 

The  time  had  passed  slowly  to  Toby,  and  yet  Sunday 
came  again — as  Sundays  always  come ;  and  on  this  day  Old 
Ben  hunted  him  up,  made  him  wash  his  face  and  hands 
antil  they  fairly  shone  from  very  cleanliness,  and  then  took 
him  to  church.  Toby  was  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  re- 
ally a  pleasant  thing  to  be  able  to  go  to  church  after  being 
deprived  of  it,  and  was  more  light-hearted  than  he  had  yet 
been  since  he  left  Guilford  when  he  returned  to  the  tent 
at  noon. 

The  skeleton  had  invited  him  to  another  dinner-party; 
10 


142  Toby  Tyler 

but  Toby  had  declined  the  invitation,  agreeing  to  present 
himself  in  time  for  supper  instead.  He  hardly  cared  to  go 
through  the  ordeal  of  another  state  dinner ;  and  besides,  he 
Wanted  to  go  off  to  the  woods  with  the  old  monkey,  where 
he  could  enjoy  the  silence  of  the  forest,  which  seemed  like 
a  friend  to  him,  because  it  reminded  him  of  home. 

Taking  the  monkey  with  him  as  usual,  he  inquired  the 
nearest  way  to  a  grove,  and,  without  waiting  for  dinner, 
started  off  for  an  afternoon's  quiet  enjoyment. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TOBY'S  GREAT   MISFORTUNE. 

HE  town  in  which  the  circus  remained  over  Sun- 
day was  a  small  one,  and  a  brisk  walk  of  ten  min- 
utes sufficed  to  take  Toby  into  a  secluded  portion  of 
a  very  thickly-grown  wood,  where  he  could  lie  upon 
the  mossy  ground  and  fairly  revel  in  freedom. 

As  he  lay  upon  his  back,  his  hands  under  his  head,  and  his 
eyes  directed  to  the  branches  of  the  trees  above,  where  the 
birds  twittered  and  sung,  and  the  squirrels  played  in  fearless 
sport,  the  monkey  enjoyed  himself,  in  his  way,  by  playing 
all  the  monkey  antics  he  knew  of.  He  scrambled  from  tree 
to  tree,  swung  himself  from  one  branch  to  the  other  by  the 
aid  of  his  tail,  and  amused  both  himself  and  his  master,  un- 
til, tired  by  his  exertions,  he  crept  down  by  Toby's  side  and 
lay  there  in  quiet,  restful  content. 

One  of  Toby's  reasons  for  wishing  to  be  by  himself  that 
afternoon  was,  that  he  wanted  to  think  over  some  plan  of 
escape,  for  he  believed  that  he  had  nearly  money  enough 
to  enable  him  to  make  a  bold  stroke  for  freedom  and 


144  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Uncle  Daniel's.  Therefore,  when  the  monkey  nestled  down 
by  his  side  he  was  all  ready  to  confide  in  him  that  which 
had  been  occupying  his  busy  little  brain  for  the  past  three 
days. 

"  Mr.  Stubbs,"  he  said  to  the  monkey,  in  a  solemn  tone, 
"  we're  goin'  to  run  away  in  a  day  or  two." 

Mr.  Stubbs  did  not  seem  to  be  moved  in  the  least  at  this 
very  startling  piece  of  intelligence,  but  winked  his  bright 
eyes  in  unconcern ;  and  Toby,  seeming  to  think  that  every- 
thing which  he  said  had  been  understood  by  the  monkey, 
continued :  "  I've  got  a  good  deal  of  money  now,  an'  I  guess 
there's  enough  for  us  to  start  out  on.  We'll  get  away  some 
night,  an'  stay  in  the  woods  till  they  get  through  hunting  for 
us,  an'  then  we'll  go  back  to  Guilford,  an'  tell  Uncle  Dan'l 
if  he'll  only  take  us  back  we'll  never  go  to  sleep  in  meetin' 
any  more,  an'  we'll  be  just  as  good  as  we  know  how.  Now 
let's  see  how  much  money  we've  got." 

Toby  drew  from  a  pocket,  which  he  had  been  at  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  to  make  in  his  shirt,  a  small  bag  of  silver, 
and  spread  it  upon  the  ground,  where  he  could  count  it  at 
his  leisure. 

The  glittering  coin  instantly  attracted  the  monkey's  atten- 
tion, and  he  tried  by  every  means  to  thrust  his  little  black 
paw  into  the  pile;  but  Toby  would  allow  nothing  of  that 
sort,  and  pushed  him  away  quite  roughly.  Then  he  grew 


Ten  Weeks  with,  a  Circus.  145 

excited,  and  danced  and  scolded  around  Toby's  treasure, 
until  the  boy  had  hard  work  to  count  it. 

He  did  succeed,  however,  and  as  he  carefully  replaced  it 
in  the  bag  he  said  to  the  monkey,  "There's  seven  dollars 
an5  thirty  cents  in  that  bag,  an'  every  cent  of  it  is  mine. 
That  ought  to  take  care  of  us  for  a  good  while,  Mr.  Stubbs ; 
an'  by  the  time  we  get  home  we  shall  be  rich  men." 

The  monkey  showed  his  pleasure  at  this  intelligence  by 
putting  his  hand  inside  Toby's  clothes  to  find  the  bag  of 
treasure  that  he  had  seen  secreted  there,  and  two  or  three 
times,  to  the  great  delight  of  both  himself  and  the  boy,  he 
drew  forth  the  bag,  which  was  immediately  taken  away  from 
him. 

The  shadows  were  beginning  to  lengthen  in  the  woods, 
and,  heeding  this  warning  of  the  coming  night,  Toby  took 
the  monkey  on  his  arm  and  started  for  home,  or  for  the  tent, 
which  was  the  only  place  he  could  call  home. 

As  he  walked  along  he  tried  to  talk  to  his  pet  in  a  serious 
manner,  but  the  monkey,  remembering  where  he  had  seen 
the  bright  coins  secreted,  tried  so  hard  to  get  at  them  that 
finally  Toby  lost  all  patience,  and  gave  him  quite  a  hard 
cuff  on  the  ear,  which  had  the  effect  of  keeping  him  quiet 
for  a  time. 

That  night  Toby  took  supper  with  the  skeleton  and  hig 
wife,  and  he  enjoyed  the  meal,  even  though  it  was  made 


146  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

from  what  had  been  left  of  the  turkey  that  served  as  the 
noonday  feast,  more  than  he  did  the  state  dinner,  where  he 
was  obliged  to  pay  for  what  he  ate  by  the  torture  of  making 
a  speech. 

There  were  no  guests  but  Toby  present ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Treat  were  not  only  very  kind,  but  so  attentive  that  he  was 
actually  afraid  he  should  eat  so  much  as  to  stand  in  need  of 
some  of  the  catnip-tea  which  Mrs.  Treat  had  said  she  gave 
to  her  husband  when  he  had  been  equally  foolish.  The 
skeleton  would  pile  his  plate  high  with  turkey-bones  from 
on*  side,  and  the  fat  lady  would  heap  it  up,  whenever  she 
cpfrld  find  a  chance,  with  all  sorts  of  food  from  the  other, 
until  Toby  pushed  back  his  chair,  his  appetite  completely 
satisfied,  if  it  never  had  been  so  before. 

Toby  had  discussed  the  temper  of  his  employer  with  his 
host  and  hostess,  and,  after  some  considerable  conversation, 
confided  in  them  his  determination  to  run  away. 

"  1  'd  hate  awfully  to  have  you  go,"  said  Mrs.  Treat,  reflec- 
tively ;  "  but  it's  a  good  deal  better  for  you  to  get  away  from 
that  Job  Lord  if  you  can.  It  wouldn't  do  to  let  him  know 
that  you  had  any  idea  of  goin',  for  he'd  watch  you  as  a  cat 
watches  a  mouse,  an'  never  let  you  go  so  long  as  he  saw  a 
chaftce  to  keep  you.  I  heard  him  tellin'  one  of  the  drivers 
the  other  day  that  you  sold  more  goods  than  any  other  boy  he 
ever  had,  an'  he  was  going  to  keep  you  with  him  all  summer.'' 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  147 

"  Be  careful  in  what  you  do,  my  boy,"  said  the  skeleton, 
sagely,  as  he  arranged  a  large  cushion  in  an  arm-chair,  and 
proceeded  to  make  ready  for  his  after-dinner  nap ;  "  be  sure 
that  you're  all  ready  before  you  start,  an',  when  you  do  go, 
get  a  good  ways  ahead  of  him ;  for  if  he  should  ever  catch 
you  the  trouncin'  you'd  get  would  be  awful." 

Toby  assured  his  friends  that  he  would  use  every  endeavor 
to  make  his  escape  successful  when  he  did  start ;  and  Mrs. 
Treat,  with  an  eye  to  the  boy's  comfort,  said,  "  Let  me  know 
the  night  you're  goin',  an'  I'll  fix  you  up  something  to  eat, 
<so's  you  won't  be  hungry  before  you  come  to  a  place  where 
you  can  buy  something." 

As  these  kind-hearted  people  talked  with  him,  and  were 
ready  thus  to  aid  him  in  every  way  that  lay  in  their  power, 
Toby  thought  that  he  had  been  very  fortunate  in  thus  hav- 
ing made  so  many  kind  friends  in  a  place  where  he  was 
having  so  much  trouble. 

It  was  not  until  he  heard  the  sounds  of  preparation  for 
departure  that  he  left  the  skeleton's  tent,  and  then,  with  Mr. 
Stubbs  clasped  tightly  to  his  breast,  he  hurried  over  to  the 
wagon  where  Old  Ben  was  nearly  ready  to  start. 

"  All  right,  Toby,"  said  the  old  driver,  as  the  boy  came  in 
sight ;  "  I  was  afraid  you  was  going  to  keep  me  waitin'  for 
the  first  time.  Jump  right  up  on  the  box,  for  there  hain't 
no  time  to  lose,  an'  I  guess  you'll  have  to  carry  the  monkey 


148  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

in  your  arms,  for  I  don't  want  to  stop  to  open  the  cage 
now." 

"  I'd  just  as  soon  carry  him,  an'  a  little  rather,"  said  Toby, 
as  he  clambered  up  on  the  high  seat  and  arranged  a  com- 
fortable place  in  his  lap  for  his  pet  to  sit. 

In  another  moment  the  heavy  team  had  started,  and  near- 
ly the  entire  circus  was  on  the  move.  "  Now  tell  me  what 
you've  been  doin'  since  I  left  you,"  said  Old  Ben,  after  they 
were  well  clear  of  the  town,  and  he  could  trust  his  horses  to 
follow  the  team  ahead.  "I  s'pose  you've  been  to  see  the 
skeleton  an'  his  mountain  of  a  wife  ?" 

Toby  gave  a  clear  account  of  where  he  had  been  and  what 
he  had  done,  and  when  he  concluded  he  told  Old  Ben  of 
his  determination  to  run  away,  and  asked  his  advice  on  the 
matter. 

"  My  advice,"  said  Ben,  after  he  had  waited  some  time,  to 
give  due  weight  to  his  words,  "  is  that  you  clear  out  from 
this  show  just  as  soon  as  you  can.  This  hain't  no  fit  place 
for  a  boy  of  your  age  to  be  in,  an'  the  sooner  you  get  back 
where  you  started  from,  an'  get  to  school,  the  better.  But 
Job  Lord  will  do  all  he  can  to  keep  you  from  goin',  if  he 
thinks  you  have  any  idea  of  leavin'  him." 

Toby  assured  Ben,  as  he  had  assured  the  skeleton  and  his 
wife,  that  he  would  be  very  careful  in  all  he  did,  and  lay  his 
plans  with  the  utmost  secrecy ;  and  then  he  asked  whether 

I 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  149 

Ben  thought  the  amount  of  money  which  he  had  would  be 
sufficient  to  carry  him  home. 

"  Waal,  that  depends,"  said  the  driver,  slowly.  "  If  you 
go  to  spreadin'  yourself  all  over  creation,  as  boys  are  very 
apt  to  do,  your  money  won't  go  very  far;  but  if  you  look  at 
your  money  two  or  three  times  afore  you  spend  it,  you  ought 
to  get  back  and  have  a  dollar  or  two  left." 

The  two  talked,  and  Old  Ben  offered  advice,  until  Toby 
could  hardly  keep  his  eyes  open,  and  almost  before  the 
driver  concluded  his  sage  remarks  the  boy  had  stretched 
himself  on  the  top  of  the  wagon,  where  he  had  learned  to 
sleep  without  being  shaken  off,  and  was  soon  in  dream-land. 

The  monkey,  nestled  down  snug  in  Toby's  bosom,  did  not 
appear  to  be  as  sleepy  as  was  his  master,  but  popped  his 
head  in  and  out  from  under  the  coat,  as  if  watching  whether 
the  boy  was  asleep  or  not. 

Toby  was  awakened  by  a  scratching  on  his  face,  as  if  the 
monkey  was  dancing  a  hornpipe  on  that  portion  of  his  body, 
and  by  a  shrill,  quick  chattering,  which  caused  him  to  as- 
sume an  upright  position  instantly. 

He  was  frightened,  although  he  knew  not  at  what,  and 
looked  around  quickly  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  monkey's 
excitement. 

Old  Ben  was  asleep  on  his  box,  while  the  horses  jogged 
along  behind  the  other  teams,  and  Toby  failed  to  see  any- 


150  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

thing  whatever  which  should  have  caused  his  pet  to  become 
BO  excited. 

"  Lie  down  an'  behave  yourself,"  said  Toby,  as  sternly  as 
possible,  and  as  he  spoke  he  took  his  pet  by  the  collar,  to 
oblige  him  to  obey  his  command. 

The  moment  that  he  did  this  he  saw  the  monkey  throw 
something  out  into  the  road,  and  the  next  instant  he  also 
saw  that  he  held  something  tightly  clutched  in  his  other 
paw. 

It  required  some  little  exertion  and  active  movement  on 
Toby's  part  to  enable  him  to  get  hold  of  that  paw,  in  order 
to  discover  what  it  was  which  Mr.  Stubbs  had  captured ; 
but  the  instant  he  did  succeed,  there  went  up  from  his  heart 
such  a  cry  of  sorrow  as  caused  Old  Ben  to  start  up  in  alarm, 
and  the  monkey  to  cower  and  whimper  like  a  whipped  dog. 

"What  is  it,  Toby?  What's  the  matter?"  asked  the  old 
driver,  as  he  peered  out  into  the  darkness  ahead,  as  if  he 
feared  some  danger  threatened  them  from  that  quarter.  "  I 
don't  see  anything.  What  is  it  ?" 

"  Mr.  Stubbs  has  thrown  all  my  money  away,"  cried  Toby, 
holding  up  the  almost  empty  bag,  which  a  short  time  pre- 
vious had  been  so  well  filled  with  silver. 

"  Stubbs — thrown — the — money — away  ?"  repeated  Ben, 
with  a  pause  between  each  word,  as  if  he  could  not  under- 
stand that  which  he  himself  was  saying. 


MB.    STUBBS    AND   TOBYS    MONEY 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  153 

"  Yes,"  sobbed  Toby,  as  he  shook  out  the  remaining  con- 
tents of  the  bag,  "  there's  only  half  a  dollar,  an'  all  the  rest 
is  gone." 

"The  rest  gone!"  again  repeated  Ben.  "But  how  come 
the  monkey  to  have  the  money  ?" 

"  He  tried  to  get  at  it  out  in  the  woods,  an'  I  s'pose  the 
moment  I  got  asleep  he  felt  for  it  in  my  pockets.  This  is 
all  there  is  left,  an'  he  threw  away  some  just  as  I  woke  up." 

Again  Toby  held  the  bag  up  where  Ben  could  see  it,  and 
again  his  grief  broke  out  anew. 

Ben  could  say  nothing;  he  realized  the  whole  situation: 
that  the  monkey  had  got  at  the  money-bag  while  Toby  was 
sleeping ;  that  in  his  play  he  had  thrown  it  away  piece  by 
piece;  and  he  knew  that  that  small  amount  of  silver  repre- 
sented liberty  in  the  boy's  eyes.  He  felt  that  there  was 
nothing  he  could  say  which  would  assuage  Toby's  grief,  and 
he  remained  silent. 

"Don't  you  s'pose  we  could  go  back  an'  get  it?"  asked 
the  boy,  after  the  intensity  of  his  grief  had  somewhat  sub- 
sided. 

"  No,  Toby,  it's  gone,"  replied  Ben,  sorrowfully.  "  You 
couldn't  find  it  if  it  was  daylight,  an'  you  don't  stand  a 
ghost  of  a  chance  now  in  the  dark.  Don't  take  on  so,  my 
boy.  I'll  see  if  we  can't  make  it  up  to  you  in  some  way." 

Toby  gave  no  heed  to  this  last  remark  of  Ben's.     He 


154  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

hugged  the  monkey  convulsively  to  his  breast,  as  if  he  would 
seek  consolation  from  the  very  one  who  had  wrought  the 
ruin,  and,  rocking  himself  to  and  fro,  he  said,  in  a  voice  full 
of  tears  and  sorrow, 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Stubbs,  why  did  you  do  it  ? — why  did  you  do 
it  ?  That  money  would  have  got  us  away  from  this  hateful 
place,  an'  we'd  gone  back  to  Uncle  Dan'l's,  where  we'd  have 
been  so  happy,  you  an'  me.  An'  now  it's  all  gone — all 
gone.  What  made  yon,  Mr.  Stubbs — what  made  you  do  such 
a  bad,  cruel  thing  ?  Oh  !  what  made  you  ?" 

"Don't,  Toby — don't  take  on  so,"  said  Ben,  soothingly. 
"  There  wasn't  so  very  much  money  there,  after  all,  an' 
you'll  soon  get  as  much  more." 

"But  it  won't  be  for  a  good  while,  an'  we  could  have 
been  in  the  good  old  home  long  before  I  can  get  so  much 


again." 


"  That's  true,  my  boy ;  but  you  must  kinder  brace  UD.  an' 
not  give  way  so  about  it.  Perhaps  I  can  fix  it  so  the  fellers 
will  make  it  up  to  you.  Give  Stubbs  a  good  poundin'.  an' 
perhaps  that  '11  make  you  feel  better." 

"  That  won't  bring  back  my  money,  an'  I  don't  want  to 
whip  him,"  cried  Toby,  hugging  his  pet  the  closer  because 
of  this  suggestion.  "  I  know  what  it  is  to  get  a  whippin', 
an'  I  wouldn't  whip  a  dog,  much  less  Mr.  Stubbs,  who  didn't 
know  any  better." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  155 

"  Then  you  must  try  to  take  it  like  a  man,"  said  Ben,  who 
could  think  of  no  other  plan  by  which  the  boy  might  soothe 
his  feelings.  "  It  hain't  half  so  bad  as  it  might  be,  an'  you 
must  try  to  keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  even  if  it  does  seem  hard 
at  first." 

This  keeping  a  stiff  upper  lip  in  the  face  of  all  the  trouble 
he  was  having  was  all  very  well  to  talk  about,  but  Toby 
could  not  reduce  it  to  practice,  or,  at  least,  not  so  soon  after 
he  knew  of  his  loss,  and  he  continued  to  rock  the  monkey 
back  and  forth,  to  whisper  in  his  ear  now  and  then,  and  to 
cry  as  if  his  heart  was  breaking,  for  nearly  an  hour. 

Ben  tried,  in  his  rough,  honest  way,  to  comfort  him,  but 
without  success ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  boy's  grief  had 
spent  itself  that  he  would  listen  to  any  reasoning. 

All  this  time  the  monkey  had  remained  perfectly  quiet, 
submitting  to  Toby's  squeezing  without  making  any  effort 
to  get  away,  and  behaving  as  if  he  knew  he  had  done 
wrong,  and  was  trying  to  atone  for  it.  He  looked  up  into 
the  boy's  face  every  now  and  then  with  such  a  penitent  ex- 
pression, that  Toby  finally  assured  him  of  forgiveness,  and 
begged  him  not  to  feel  so  badly. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TOBY  ATTEMPTS  TO  RESIGN  HIS  SITUATION. 

last  it  was  possible  for  Toby  to  speak  of  his  loss 
with  some  degree  of  calmness,  and  then  he  imme- 
diately began  to  reckon  up  what  he  could  have 
done  with  the  money  if  he  had  not  lost  it. 
"  Now  see  here,  Toby,"  said  Ben,  earnestly :  "  don't  go  to 
doin'  anything  of  that  kind.    The  money's  lost,  an'  you  can't 
get  it  back  by  talkin' ;  so  the  very  best  thing  for  you  is  to 
stop  thinkin'  what  you  could  do  if  you  had  it,  an'  just  to 
look  at  it  as  a  goner." 
"But—"  persisted  Toby. 

"I  tell  you  there's  no  buts  about  it,"  said  Ben,  rather 
sharply.  "Stop  talkin'  about  what's  gone,  an'  just  go  to 
thinkin'  how  you'll  get  more.  Do  what  you've  a  mind  to 
the  monkey,  but  don't  keep  broodin'  over  what  you  can't 
help." 

Toby  knew  that  the  advice  was  good,  and  he  struggled 
manfully  to  carry  it  into  execution,  but  it  was  very  hard 
work.  At  all  events,  there  was  no  sleep  for  his  eyes  that 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  157 

night;  and  when,  just  about  daylight,  the  train  halted  to 
wait  a  more  seasonable  hour  in  which  to  enter  the  town,  the 
thought  of  what  he  might  have  done  with  his  lost  money 
was  still  in  Toby's  mind. 

Only  once  did  he  speak  crossly  to  the  monkey,  and  that 
was  when  he  put  him  into  the  cage  preparatory  to  com- 
mencing his  morning's  work.  Then  he  said, 

"You  wouldn't  had  to  go  into  this  place  many  times  more 
if  you  hadn't  been  so  wicked,  for  by  to-morrow  night  we'd 
been  away  from  this  circus,  an'  on  the  way  to  home  an' 
Uncle  Dan'l.  Now  you've  spoiled  my  chance  an'  your  own 
for  a  good  while  to  come,  an'  I  hope  before  the  day  is  over 
you'll  feel  as  bad  about  it  as  I  do." 

It  seemed  to  Toby  as  if  the  monkey  understood  just  what 
he  said  to  him,  for  he  sneaked  over  into  one  corner,  away 
from  the  other  monkeys,  and  sat  there  looking  very  peni- 
tent and  very  dejected. 

Then,  with  a  heavy  heart,  Toby  began  his  day's  work. 

Hard  as  had  been  Toby's  lot  previous  to  losing  his  money, 
and  difficult  as  it  had  been  to  bear  the  cruelty  of  Mr.  Job 
Lord  and  his  precious  partner,  Mr.  Jacobs,  it  was  doubly 
hard  now  while  this  sorrow  was  fresh  upon  him. 

Previous  to  this,  when  he  had  been  kicked  or  cursed  by 
one  or  the  other  of  the  partners,  Toby  thought  exultantly 
that  the  time  was  not  very  far  distant  when  he  should  be 


158  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

beyond  the  reach  of  his  brutal  task-masters,  and  that  thought 
had  given  him  strength  to  bear  all  that  had  been  put  upon 
him. 

"Now  the  time  of  his  deliverance  from  this  bondage 
seemed  very  far  off,  and  each  cruel  word  or  blow  caused 
him  the  greater  sorrow,  because  of  the  thought  that  but  for 
the  monkey's  wickedness  he  would  have  been  nearly  free 
from  that  which  made  his  life  so  very  miserable. 

If  he  had  looked  sad  and  mournful  before,  he  looked 
doubly  so  now,  as  he  went  his  dreary  round  of  the  tent,  cry- 
ing, "Here's  your  cold  lemonade,"  or  "Fresh-baked  pea- 
nuts, ten  cents  a  quart ;"  and  each  day  there  were  some  in 
the  audience  who  pitied  the  boy  because  of  the  misery 
which  showed  so  plainly  in  his  face,  and  they  gave  him  a 
few  cents  more  than  his  price  for  what  he  was  selling,  or 
gave  him  money  without  buying  anything  at  all,  thereby 
aiding  him  to  lay  up  something  again  toward  making  his 
escape. 

Those  few  belonging  to  the  circus  who  knew  of  Toby's 
intention  to  escape  tried  their  best  to  console  him  for  the 
loss  of  his  money,  and  that  kind-hearted  couple,  the  skeleton 
and  his  fat  wife^  tried  to  force  him  to  take  a  portion  of  their 
scanty  earnings  in  the  place  of  that  which  the  monkey  had 
thrown  away.  But  this  Toby  positively  refused  to  do ;  and 
to  the  arguments  which  they  advanced  as  reasons  why  they 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  159 

should  help  him  along  he  only  replied  that  until  he  could 
get  the  money  by  his  own  exertions  he  would  remain  with 
Messrs.  Lord  and  Jacobs,  and  get  along  as  best  he  could. 

Every  hour  in  the  day  the  thought  of  what  might  have 
been  if  he  had  not  lost  his  money  so  haunted  his  mind  that 
finally  he  resolved  to  make  one  bold  stroke,  and  tell  Mr. 
Job  Lord  that  he  did  not  want  to  travel  with  the  circus 
any  longer. 

As  yet  he  had  not  received  the  two  dollars  which  had 
been  promised  him  for  his  two  weeks'  work,  and  another 
one  was  nearly  due.  If  he  could  get  this  money  it  might, 
with  what  he  had  saved  again,  suffice  to  pay  his  railroad 
fare  to  Guilford ;  and  if  it  would  not,  he  resolved  to  accept 
from  the  skeleton  sufficient  to  make  up  the  amount  needed. 

He  naturally  shrunk  from  the  task ;  but  the  hope  that  he 
might  possibly  succeed  gave  him  the  necessary  amount  of 
courage,  and  when  he  had  gotten  his  work  done,  on  the 
third  morning  after  he  had  lost  his  money,  and  Mr.  Lord 
appeared  to  be  in  an  unusually  good  temper,  he  resolved 
to  try  the  plan. 

It  was  just  before  the  dinner  hour.  Tade  had  been  unex« 
ceptionally  good,  and  Mr.  Lord  had  even  spoken  in  a  pleas- 
ant tone  to  Toby  when  he  told  him  to  fill  up  the  lemonade 
pail  with  water,  so  that  the  stock  might  not  be  disposed  of 
too  quickly  and  with  too  little  profit. 


160  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Toby  poured  in  quite  as  much  water  as  he  thought  the 
already  weak  mixture  could  receive  and  retain  any  flavor 
of  lemon ;  and  then,  as  his  employer  motioned  him  to  add 
more,  he  mixed  another  quart  in,  secretly  wondering  what  it 
would  taste  like. 

"When  you're  mixin'  lemonade  for  circus  trade,"  said 
Mr.  Lord,  in  such  a  benign,  fatherly  tone  that  one  would 
have  found  it  difficult  to  believe  that  he  ever  spoke  harshly, 
"  don't  be  afraid  of  water,  for  there's  where  the  profit  comes 
in.  Always  have  a  piece  of  lemon-peel  floatin'  on  the  top 
of  every  glass,  an'  it  tastes  just  as  good  to  people  as  if  it 
cost  twice  as  much." 

Toby  could  not  agree  exactly  with  that  opinion,  neither 
did  he  think  it  wise  to  disagree,  more  especially  since  he 
was  going  to  ask  the  very  great  favor  of  being  discharged ; 
therefore  he  nodded  his  head  gravely,  and  began  to  stir  up 
what  it  pleased  Mr.  Lord  to  call  lemonade,  so  that  the  last 
addition  might  be  more  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  others. 

Two  or  three  times  he  attempted  to  ask  the  favor  which 
seemed  such  a  great  one,  and  each  time  the  words  stuck  in 
his  throat,  until  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  should  never  suc- 
ceed in  getting  them  out. 

Finally,  in  his  despair,  he  stammered  out, 

"Don't  you  think  you  could  find  another  boy  in  this 
town,  Mr.  Lord  ?" 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  161 

Mr.  Lord  moved  round  sideways,  in  order  to  bring  his 
crooked  eye  to  bear  squarely  on  Toby,  and  then  there  was 
a  long  interval  of  silence,  during  which  time  the  boy's  color 
rapidly  came  and  went,  and  his  heart  beat  very  fast  with 
suspense  and  fear. 

"Well,  what  if  I  could?"  he  said  at  length.  "Do  you 
think  that  trade  is  so  good  I  could  afford  to  keep  two  boys, 
when  there  isn't  half  work  enough  for  one  ?" 

Toby  stirred  the  lemonade  with  renewed  activity,  as  if  by 
this  process  he  was  making  both  it  and  his  courage  stronger, 
and  said,  in  a  low  voice,  which  Mr.  Lord  could  scarcely 
hear, 

"  I  didn't  think  that ;  but  you  see  I  ought  to  go  home,  for 
Uncle  Dan'l  will  worry  about  me ;  an',  besides,  I  don't  like  a 
circus  very  well." 

Again  there  was  silence  on  Mr.  Lord's  part,  and  again  the 
crooked  eye  glowered  down  on  Toby. 

"  So,"  he  said — and  Toby  could  see  that  his  anger  was 
rising  very  fast — "  you  don't  like  a  circus  very  well,  an'  you 
begin  to  think  that  your  uncle  Daniel  will  worry  about  you, 
eh?  Well,  I  want  you  to  understand  that  it  don't  make 
any  difference  to  me  whether  you  like  a  circus  or  not,  and  I 
don't  care  how  much  your  uncle  Daniel  worries.  You  mean 
that  you  want  to  get  away  from  me,  after  I've  been  to  all 
the  trouble  and  expense  of  teaching  you  the  business  ?" 


1 62  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Toby  bent  his  head  over  the  pail,  and  stirred  away  as  if 
for  dear  life. 

"  If  you  think  you're  going  to  get  away  from  here  until 
you've  paid  me  for  all  you've  eat,  an'  all  the  time  I've  spent 
on  you,  you're  mistaken,  that's  all.  You've  had  an  easy 
time  with  me — too  easy,  in  fact — and  that's  what  ails  you. 
Now,  you  just  let  me  hear  two  words  more  out  of  your  head 
about  going  away — only  two  more — an'  I'll  show  you  what 
a  whipping  is.  I've  only  been  playing  with  you  before 
when  you  thought  you  was  getting  a  whipping;  but  you'll 
find  out  what  it  means  if  I  so  much  as  see  a  thought  in  your 
eyes  about  goin'  away.  An'  don't  you  dare  to  try  to  give 
me  the  slip  in  the  night  an'  run  away;  for  if  you  do  I'll 
follow  you,  an'  have  you  arrested.  Now,  you  mind  your 
eye  in  the  future." 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  much  longer  Mr.  Lord  might 
have  continued  this  tirade,  had  not  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany— one  of  the  principal  riders — called  him  one  side  to 
speak  with  him. 

Poor  Toby  was  so  much  confused  by  the  angry  words 
which  had  followed  his  very  natural  and  certainly  very  rea- 
sonable suggestion  that  he  paid  no  attention  to  anything 
around  him,  until  he  heard  his  own  name  mentioned ;  and 
then,  fearing  lest  some  new  misfortune  was  about  to  befall 
him,  he  listened  intently. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  163 

"  I'm  afraid  you  couldn't  do  rrmch  of  anything  with  him," 
he  heard  Mr.  Lord  say.  "  Jle's  had  enough  of  this  kind  of 
life  already,  so  he  says,  an'  I  expect  the  next  thing  he  does 
will  be  to  try  to  run  away." 

"  I'll  risk  his  getting  away  from  you,  Job,"  he  heard  the 
other  say ;  "  but  of  course  I've  got  to  take  my  chances.  I'll 
take  him  in  hand  from  eleven  to  twelve  each  day  —  just 
your  slack  time  of  trade — and  I'll  not  only  give  you  half 
of  what  he  can  earn  in  the  next  two  years,  but  I'll  pay 
you  for  his  time,  if  he  gives  us  the  slip  before  the  season 
is  out." 

Toby  knew  that  they  were  speaking  of  him,  but  what  it 
all  meant  he  could  not  imagine. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  him  first  ?"  Job  asked. 

"  Just  put  him  right  into  the  ring,  and  teach  him  what 
riding  is.  I  tell  you,  Job,  the  boy's  smart  enough,  and  be- 
fore the  season's  over  I'll  have  him  so  that  he  can  do  some 
of  the  bare-back  acts,  and  perhaps  we'll  get  some  money  out 
of  him  before  we  go  into  winter-quarters." 

Toby  understood  the  meaning  of  their  conversation  only 
too  well,  and  he  knew  that  his  lot,  which  before  seemed 
harder  than  he  could  bear,  was  about  to  be  intensified 
through  this  Mr.  Castle,  of  whom  he  had  frequently  heard, 
and  who  was  said  to  be  a  rival  of  Mr.  Lord's,  so  far  as  bru- 
tality went.  The  two  men  now  walked  toward  the  large 


164  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

tent,  and  Toby  was  left  alone  with  his  thoughts  and  the 
two  or  three  little  boy  customers,  who  looked  at  him 
wonderingly,  and  envied  him  because  he  belonged  to  the 
circus. 

During  the  ride  that  night  he  told  Old  Ben  what  he 
had  heard,  confidently  expecting  that  that  friend  at  least 
would  console  him ;  but  Ben  was  not  the  champion  which 
he  had  expected.  The  old  man,  who  had  been  with  a 
circus,  "man  and  boy,  nigh  to  forty  years,"  did  not  seem 
to  think  it  any  calamity  that  he  was  to  be  taught  to  ride. 

"  That  Mr.  Castle  is  a  little  rough  on  boys,"  Old  Ben  said, 
thoughtfully ;  "  but  it  '11  be  a  good  thing  for  you,  Toby.  Just 
so  long  as  you  stay  with  Job  Lord  you  won't  be  nothin' 
more'n  a  candy-boy ;  but  after  you  know  how  to  ride  it  '11 
be  another  thing,  an'  you  can  earn  a  good  deal  of  money, 
an'  be  your  own  boss." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  stay  with  the  circus,"  whined  Toby ; 
"  I  don't  want  to  learn  to  ride,  an'  I  do  want  to  get  back  to 
Uncle  Dan'l." 

"  That  may  all  be  true,  an'  I  don't  dispute  it,"  said  Ben ; 
"  but  you  see  you  didn't  stay  with  your  uncle  Daniel  when 
you  had  the  chance,  an'  you  did  come  with  the  circus. 
You've  told  Job  you  wanted  to  leave,  an'  he'll  be  watchin' 
you  all  the  time  to  see  that  you  don't  give  him  the  slip. 
Now,  what's  the  consequence  ?  Why,  you  can't  get  away 


TOBY   AND    THE    LITTLE    BOY    CUSTOMKKS. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  167 

for  a  while,  anyhow,  an'  you'd  better  try  to  amount  to  some= 
thing  while  you  are  here.  Perhaps  after  you've  got  so  you 
can  ride  you  may  want  to  stay ;  an'  I'll  see  to  it  that  you 
get  all  of  your  wages,  except  enough  to  pay  Castle  for 
learn  in'  of  you." 

"  1  sha'n't  want  to  stay,"  said  Toby.  "  I  wouldn't  stay  if 
I  could  ride  all  the  horses  at  once,  an'  was  gettin'  a  hun- 
dred dollars  a  day'." 

"  But  you  can't  ride  one  horse,  an'  you  hain't  gettin'  but  a 
dollar  a  week,  an'  still  I  don't  see  any  chance  of  your  gettin' 
away  yet  awhile,"  said  Ben,  in  a  matter-of-fact  tone,  as  he 
devoted  his  attention  again  to  his  horses,  leaving  Toby  to 
his  own  sad  reflections,  and  the  positive  conviction  that  boys 
who  run  away  from  home  do  not  have  a  good  time,  except 
in  stories. 

The  next  forenoon,  while  Toby  was  deep  in  the  excite- 
ment of  selling  to  a  boy  no  larger  than  himself,  and  with 
just  as  red  hair,  three  cents'  worth  of  pea-nuts  and  two 
sticks  of  candy,  and  while  the  boy  was  trying  to  induce  him 
to  "  throw  in  "  a  piece  of  gum,  because  of  the  quantity  pur- 
chased, Job  Lord  called  him  aside,  and  Toby  knew  that  his 
troubles  had  begun. 

"  I  want  you  to  go  in  an'  see  Mr.  Castle ;  he's  goin'  to 
show  you  how  to  ride,"  said  Mr.  Lord,  in  as  kindly  a  tone 
as  if  he  were  conferring  some  favor  on  the  boy. 


1 68  Toby  Tyler 

If  Toby  had  dared  to,  he  would  have  rebelled  then  and 
there  and  refused  to  go;  but,  as  he  hadn't  the  courage  for 
such  proceeding,  he  walked  meekly  into  the  tent  and  to- 
ward the  ring. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MB.  CASTLE  TEACHES  TOBY  TO  RIDE. 

>HEN  Toby  got  within  sight  of  the  ring  he  was 
astonished  at  what  he  saw.  A  horse,  with  a  broad 
wooden  saddle,  was  being  led  slowly  around  the 
ring ;  Mr.  Castle  was  standing  on  one  side,  with  a 
long  whip  in  his  hand ;  and  on  the  tent-pole,  which  stood 
in  the  centre  of  the  ring,  was  a  long  arm,  from  which 
dangled  a  leathern  belt  attached  to  a  long  rope  that  was 
carried  through  the  end  of  the  arm  and  run  down  to  the 
base  of  the  pole. 

Toby  knew  well  enough  why  the  horse,  the  whip,  and  the 
man  were  there,  but  the  wooden  projection  from  the  tent- 
pole,  which  looked  so  much  like  a  gallows,  he  could  not 
understand  at  all. 

"  Come,  now,"  said  Mr.  Castle,  cracking  his  whip  omi- 
nously as  Toby  came  in  sight,  "why  weren't  you  here 
before?" 

"  Mr.  Lord  just  sent  me  in,"  said  Toby,  not  expecting  that 
his  excuse  would  be  received,  for  they  never  had  been  since 


170  Toby  Tyler ;  ory 

he  had  arrived  at  the  height  of  his  ambition  by  joining  the 
circus. 

"  Then  I'll  make  Mr.  Job  understand  that  I  am  to  have 
my  full  hour  of  your  time ;  and  if  I  don't  get  it  there'll  be 
trouble  between  us." 

It  would  have  pleased  Toby  very  well  to  have  had  Mr. 
Castle  go  out  with  his  long  whip  just  then  and  make  trou- 
ble for  Mr.  Lord ;  but  Mr.  Castle  had  not  the  time  to  spare, 
because  of  the  trouble  which  he  was  about  to  make  for 
Toby,  and  that  he  commenced  on  at  once. 

"  Well,  get  in  here,  and  don't  waste  any  more  time,"  he 
said,  sharply. 

Toby  looked  around  curiously  for  a  moment,  and,  not  un? 
derstanding  exactly  what  he  was  expected  to  get  in  and  do, 
asked,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?" 

"  Pull  off  your  boots,  coat,  and  vest." 

Since  there  was  no  other  course  than  to  learn  to  ride, 
Toby  wisely  concluded  that  the  best  thing  he  could  dp 
would  be  to  obey  his  new  master  without  question ;  so  he 
began  to  ta"ke  off  his  clothes  with  as  much  alacrity  as  if 
learning  to  ride  was  the  one  thing  upon  which  he  had  long 
set  his  heart. 

Mr.  Castle  was  evidently  accustomed  to  prompt  obedience, 
for  he  not  only  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course  but  endeavored 
to  hurry  Toby  in  the  work  of  undressing. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  171 

With  his  desire  to  please,  and  urged  by  Mr.  Castle's  words 
and  the  ominous  shaking  of  his  whip,  Toby's  preparations 
were  soon  made,  and  he  stood  before  his  instructor  clad 
only  in  his  shirt,  trousers,  and  stockings. 

The  horse  was  led  around  to  where  he  stood,  and  when 
Mr.  Castle  held  out  his  hand  to  help  him  to  mount  Toby 
jumped  up  quickly  without  aid,  thereby  making  a  good  im- 
pression at  the  start  as  a  willing  lad. 

"  Now,"  said  the  instructor,  as  he  pulled  down  the  leath- 
ern belt  which  hung  from  the  rope,  and  fastened  it  around 
Toby's  waist,  "stand  up  in  the  saddle,  and  try  to  keep 
there.  You  can't  fall,  because  the  rope  will  hold  you  up, 
even  if  the  horse  goes  out  from  under  you ;  but  it  isn't  hard 
work  to  keep  on,  if  you  mind  what  you  are  about ;  and  if 
you  don't  this  whip  will  help  you.  Now  stand  up." 

Toby  did  as  he  was  bid;  and  as  the  horse  was  led  at  a 
walk,  and  as  he  had  the  long  bridle  to  aid  him  m  keeping 
his  footing,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  standing  during  the 
time  that  the  horse  went  once  around  the  ring;  but  that 
was  all. 

Mr.  Castle  seemed  to  think  that  this  was  preparation 
enough  for  the  boy  to  be  able  to  understand  how  to  ride, 
and  he  started  the  horse  into  a  canter.  As  might  have  been 
expected,  Toby  lost  his  balance,  the  horse  went  on  ahead, 
and  he  was  left  dangling  at  the  end  of  the  rope,  very  much 


1 72  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

like  a  crab  that  has  just  been  caught  by  the  means  of  a  pole 
and  line. 

Toby  kicked,  waved  his  hands,  and  floundered  about  gen- 
erally, but  all  to  no  purpose,  until  the  horse  came  round 
again,  and  then  he  made  frantic  efforts  to  regain  his  foot- 
ing, which  efforts  were  aided — or  perhaps  it  would  be  more 
proper  to  say  retarded — by  the  long  lash  of  Mr.  Castle's 
whip,  that  played  around  his  legs  with  merciless  severity. 

"  Stand  up !  stand  up !"  cried  his  instructor,  as  Toby 
reeled  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  now  standing 
erect  in  the  saddle,  and  now  dangling  at  the  end  of  the 
rope,  with  the  horse  almost  out  from  under  him. 

This  command  seemed  needless,  as  it  was  exactly  what 
Toby  was  trying  to  do;  but  as  it  was  given  he  struggled 
all  the  harder,  until  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  more  he  tried 
the  less  did  he  succeed. 

And  this  first  lesson  progressed  in  about  the  same  way 
until  the  hour  was  over,  save  that  now  and  then  Mr.  Castle 
would  give  him  some  good  advice,  but  oftener  he  would 
twist  the  long  lash  of  the  whip  around  the  boy's  legs  with 
such  force  that  Toby  believed  the  skin  had  been  taken  en- 
tirely off. 

It  may  have  been  a  relief  to  Mr.  Castle  when  this  first 
lesson  was  concluded,  and  it  certainly  was  to  Toby,  for  he 
had  had  all  the  teaching  in  horsemanship  that  he  wanted, 


>v 


THE   1'IKST    LKSSON. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  175 

and  lie  thought,  with  deepest  sorrow,  that  this  would  be  of 
daily  occurrence  during  all  the  time  he  remained  with  the 
circus. 

As  he  went  out  of  the  tent  he  stopped  to  speak  with  his 
friend  the  old  monkey,  and  his  troubles  seemed  to  have  in- 
creased when  he  stood  in  front  of  the  cage  calling  "  Mr. 
Stubbs !  Mr.  Stubbs !"  and  the  old  fellow  would  not  even 
come  down  from  off  the  lofty  perch  where  he  was  engaged 
in  monkey  gymnastics  with  several  younger  companions. 
It  seemed  to  him,  as  he  afterward  told  Ben,  "  as  if  Mr. 
Stubbs  had  gone  back  on  him  because  he  knew  that  he 
was  in  trouble." 

When  he  went  toward  the  booth  Mr.  Lord  looked  at  him 
around  the  corner  of  the  canvas — for  it  seemed  to  Toby 
that  his  employer  could  look  around  a  square  corner  with 
much  greater  ease  than  he  could  straight  ahead — with  a 
disagreeable  leer  in  his  eye,  as  though  lie  enjoyed  the  mis- 
ery which  he  knew  his  little  clerk  had  just  undergone. 

"  Can  you  ride  yet  ?"  he  asked,  mockingly,  as  Toby  step- 
ped behind  the  counter  to  attend  to  his  regular  line  of 
business. 

Toby  made  no  reply,  for  he  knew  that  the  question  was 
only  asked  sarcastically,  and  not  through  any  desire  for  in- 
formation. In  a  few  moments  Mr.  Lord  left  him  to  attend 
to  the  booth  alone,  and  went  into  the  tent,  where  Toby 


176  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

rightly  conjectured  he  had  gone  to  question  Mr.  Castle  upon 
the  result  of  the  lesson  just  given. 

That  night  Old  Ben  asked  him  how  he  had  got  on  while 
under  the  teaching  of  Mr.  Castle ;  and  Toby,  knowing  that 
the  question  was  asked  because  of  the  real  interest  which 
Ben  had  in  his  welfare,  replied, 

"  If  I  was  tryin'  to  learn  how  to  swing  round  the  ring, 
strapped  to  a  rope,  I  should  say  that  I  got  along  first-rate ; 
but  I  don't  know  much  about  the  horse,  for  I  was  only  on 
his  back  a  little  while  at  a  time." 

"  You'll  get  over  that  soon,"  said  Old  Ben,  patronizingly, 
as  he  patted  him  on  the  back.  "  You  remember  my  words, 
now:  I  say  that  you've  got  it  in  you,  an'  if  you've  a  mind  to 
take  hold  an'  try  to  learn  you'll  come  out  on  the  top  of  the 
heap  yet,  an'  be  one  of  the  smartest  riders  they've  got  in 
this  show." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  a  rider,"  said  Toby,  sadly ;  "  I  only 
want  to  get  back  home  once  more,  an'  then  you'll  see  how 
much  it  '11  take  to  get  me  away  again." 

"  Well,"  said  Ben,  quietly,  "  be  that  as  it  may,  while 
you're  here  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  take  hold  an'  get 
ahead  just  as  fast  as  you  can ;  it  '11  make  it  a  mighty  sight 
easier  for  you  while  you're  with  the  show,  an'  it  won't  spoil 
any  of  your  chances  for  runnin7  away  whenever  the  time 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  177 

Toby  fully  appreciated  the  truth  of  this  remark,  and  he 
assured  Ben  that  he  should  do  all  in  his  power  to  profit  by 
the  instruction  given,  and  to  please  this  new  master  who 
had  been  placed  over  him. 

And  with  this  promise  he  lay  back  on  the  seat  and  went 
to  sleep,  not  to  awaken  until  the  preparations  were  being 
made  for  the  entree  into  the  next  town,  and  Mr.  Lord's 
harsh  voice  had  cried  out  his  name,  with  no  gentle  tone,  sev- 
eral times. 

Toby's  first  lesson  with  Mr.  Castle  was  the  most  pleasant 
one  he  had;  for  after  the  boy  had  once  been  into  the  ring 
his  master  seemed  to  expect  that  he  could  do  everything 
which  he  was  told  to  do,  and  when  he  failed  in  any  lit- 
tle particular  the  long  lash  of  the  whip  would  go  curling 
around  his  legs  or  arms,  until  the  little  fellow's  body  and 
limbs  were  nearly  covered  with  the  blue-and-black  stripes. 

For  three  lessons  only  was  the  wooden  upright  used  to 
keep  him  from  falling;  after  that  he  was  forced  to  ride 
standing  erect  on  the  broad  wooden  saddle,  or  pad,  as  it  is 
properly  called ;  and  whenever  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell 
there  was  no  question  asked  as  to  whether  or  not  he  had 
hurt  himself,  but  he  was  mercilessly  cut  with  the  whip. 

Messrs.  Lord  and  Jacobs  gained  very  much  by  compari- 
son with  Mr.  Castle  in  Toby's  mind.  He  had  thought  that 
his  lot  could  not  be  harder  than  it  was  with  them ;  but 


178  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

when  he  had  experienced  the  pains  of  two  or  three  of  Mr. 
Castle's  lessons  in  horsemanship  he  thought  that  he  would 
stay  with  the  candy  venders  all  the  season  cheerfully  rather 
than  take  six  more  lessons  of  Mr.  Castle. 

Night  after  night  he  fell  asleep  from  the  sheer  exhaus- 
tion of  crying,  as  he  had  been  pouring  out  his  woes  in  the 
old  monkey's  ears  and  laying  his  plans  to  run  away.  Now, 
more  than  ever,  was  he  anxious  to  get  away,  and  yet  each 
day  was  taking  him  farther  from  home,  and  consequently 
necessitating  a  larger  amount  of  money  with  which  to  start. 
As  Old  Ben  did  not  give  him  as  much  sympathy  as  Toby 
thought  he  ought  to  give — for  the  old  man,  while  he  would 
not  allow  Mr.  Job  Lord  to  strike  the  boy  if  he  was  near, 
thought  it  a  necessary  portion  of  the  education  for  Mr. 
Castle  to  lash  him  all  he  had  a  mind  to — he  poured  out  all 
his  troubles  in  the  old  monkey's  ears,  and  kept  him  with 
him  from  the  time  he  ceased  work  at  night  until  he  was 
obliged  to  commence  again  in  the  morning. 

The  skeleton  and  his  wife  thought  Toby's  lot  a  hard  oner 
and  tried  by  every  means  in  their  power  to  cheer  the  poor 
boy.  Neither  one  of  them  could  say  to  Mr.  Castle  whal 
they  had  said  to  Mr.  Lord,  for  the  rider  was  a  far  different 
sort  of  a  person,  and  one  whom  they  would  not  be  allowed 
to  interfere  with  in  any  way.  Therefore  poor  Toby  was 
obliged  to  bear  his  troubles  and  his  whippings  as  best  he 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  179 

might,  with  only  the  thought  to  cheer  him  of  the  time  when 
he  could  leave  them  all  by  running  away. 

But,  despite  all  his  troubles,  Toby  learned  to  ride  faster 
than  his  teacher  had  expected  he  would,  and  in  three  weeks 
he  found  little  or  no  difficulty  in  standing  erect  while  his 
horse  went  around  the  ring  at  his  fastest  gait.  After  that 
had  been  accomplished  his  progress  was  more  rapid,  and  he 
gave  promise  of  becoming  a  very  good  rider — a  fact  which 
pleased  both  Mr.  Castle  and  Mr.  Lord  very  much,  as  they 
fancied  that  in  another  year  Toby  would  be  the  source  of 
a  very  good  income  to  them. 

The  proprietor  of  the  circus  took  considerable  interest 
in  Toby's  instruction,  and  promised  Mr.  Castle  that  Made- 
moiselle Jeannette  and  Toby  should  do  an  act  together  in 
the  performance  just  as  soon  as  the  latter  was  sufficiently 
advanced.  The  boy's  costume  had  been  changed  after  he 
could  ride  without  falling  off,  and  now  while  he  was  in  the 
ring  he  wore  the  same  as  that  used  by  the  regular  per- 
formers. 

The  little  girl  had,  after  it  was  announced  that  she  and 
Toby  were  to  perform  together,  been  an  attentive  observer 
during  the  hour  that  Toby  was  under  Mr.  Castle's  direction, 
and  she  gave  him  many  suggestions  that  were  far  more  val- 
uable, and  quicker  to  be  acted  upon,  than  those  given  by 
the  teacher  himself. 


i  So  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

"To-morrow  yon  two  will  go  through  the  exercise  to- 
gether," said  Mr.  Castle  to  Toby  and  Ella,  at  the  close  of 
one  of  Toby's  lessons,  after  he  had  become  so  skilful  that 
he  could  stand  with  ease  on  the  pad,  and  even  advanced  so 
far  that  he  could  jump  through  a  hoop  without  falling 
more  than  twice  out  of  three  times. 

The  little  girl  appeared  highly  delighted  by  this  informa- 
tion, and  expressed  her  joy. 

"It  will  be  real  nice,"  she  said  to  Toby,  after  Mr.  Castle 
had  left  them  alone.  "  I  can  help  you  lots,  and  it  won't  be 
very  long  before  we  can  do  an  act  all  by  ourselves  in  the 
performance,  and  then  won't  the  people  clap  their  hands 
when  we  come  in !" 

"  It'll  be  better  for  you  to-morrow  than  it  will  for  me," 
said  Toby,  rubbing  his  legs  sorrowfully,  still  feeling  the 
sting  of  the  whip.  "You  see  Mr.  Castle  won't  dare  to 
whip  yon,  an'  he'll  make  it  all  count  on  me,  'cause  he 
knows  Mr.  Lord  likes  to  have  him  whip  me." 

"  But  I  sha'n't  make  any  mistake,",  said  Ella,  confidently, 
"  and  so  you  won't  have  to  be  whipped  on  my  account ;  and 
while  I  am  on  the  horse  you  can't  be  whipped,  for  he 
couldn't  do  it  without  whipping  me,  so  yoix  see  you  won't 
get  only  half  as  much." 

Toby  brightened  up  a  little  under  the  influence  of  this 
argument;  but  his  countenance  fell  again  as  he  thought 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  181 

that  his  chances  for  getting  away  from  the  circus  were 
growing  less  each  day. 

"You  see  I  want  to  get  back  to  Uncle  Dan'l  an'  Guil- 
ford,"  he  said,  confidentially ;  "  I  don't  want  to  stay  here  a 
single  minute." 

Ella  opened  her  eyes  in  wide  astonishment  as  she  cried, 
"Don't  want  to  stay  here?  Why  don't  you  go  home, 
then  ?" 

"  'Cause  Job  Lord  won't  let  me,"  said  Toby,  wondering 
if  it  was  possible  that  his  little  companion  did  not  know 
exactly  what  sort  of  a  man  his  master  was. 

Then  he  told  her — after  making  her  give  him  all  kinds 
of  promises,  including  the  ceremony  of  crossing  her  throat, 
that  she  would  never  tell  a  single  soul — that  he  had  had 
many  thoughts,  and  had  formed  all  kinds  of  plans  for  run- 
ning away.  He  told  her  about  losing  his  money,  about  his 
friendship  for  the  skeleton  and  the  fat  lady,  and  at  last 
he  confided  in  her  that  he  was  intending  to  take  the  old 
monkey  with  him  when  he  should  make  the  attempt. 

She  listened  with  the  closest  attention,  and  when  he  told 
her  that  his  little  hoard  had  now  reached  the  sum  of  seven 
dollars  and  ten  cents — almost  as  much  as  he  had  before — 
she  said,  eagerly, "  I've  got  three  little  gold  dollars  in  my 
trunk,  an'  you  shall  have  them  all ;  they're  my  very  own, 
for  mamma  gave  them  to  me  to  do  just  what  I  wanted  to 


1 82  Toby  Tyler ;  or^ 

with  them.  But  I  don't  see  how  you  can  take  Mr.  Stubbs 
with  you,  for  that  would  be  stealing." 

"No,  it  wouldn't,  neither,"  said  Toby,  stoutly.  "Wasn't 
he  give  to  me  to  do  just  as  I  wanted  to  with?  an'  didn't 
the  boss  say  he  was  all  mine  ?" 

"  Oh,  I'd  forgotten  that,"  said  Ella,  thoughtfully.  "  I  sup- 
pose  you  can  take  him;  but  he'll  be  awfully  in  the  way, 
won't  he  V 

"  No,"  said  Toby,  anxious  to  say  a  good  word  for  his  pet ; 
"  he  always  does  just  as  I  want  him  to,  an'  when  I  tell  him 
what  I'm  tryin'  to  do  he'll  be  as  good  as  anything.  But  I 
can't  take  your  dollars." 

"Why  not?" 

"'Cause  that  wouldn't  be  right  for  a  boy  to  let  a  girl 
littler  than  himself  help  him;  I'll  wait  till  I  get  money 
enough  of  my  own,  an'  then  I'll  go." 

"  But  I  want  you  to  take  my  money  too ;  I  want  you  to 
have  it." 

"  No,  I  can't  take  it,"  said  Toby,  shaking  his  head  reso- 
lutely as  he  put  the  golden  temptation  from  him ;  and  then, 
as  a  happy'  thought  occurred  to  him,  he  said,  quickly, "  I 
tell  you  what  to  do  with  your  dollars:  you  keep  them  till 
you  grow  up  to  be  a  woman,  an'  when  I'm  a  man  I'll  come, 
an'  then  we'll  buy  a  circus  of  our  own.  I  think,  perhaps, 
I'd  like  to  be  with  a  circus  if  I  owned  one  myself.  We'll 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  183 

have  lots  of  money  then,  an'  we  can  do  just  what  we  want 
to." 

This  idea  seemed  to  please  the  little  girl,  and  the  two 
began  to  lay  all  sorts  of  plans  for  that  time  when  they 
should  be  man  and  woman,  have  lots  of  money,  and  be 
able  to  do  just  as  they  wanted  to. 

They  had  been  s'tting  on  the  edge  of  the  newly-made 
ring  while  they  were  talking,  and  before  they  had  half-fin- 
ished making  plans  for  the  future  one  of  the  attendants 
came  in  to  put  things  to  order,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
leave  their  seats,  she  going  to  the  hotel  to  get  ready  for  the 
afternoon's  performance,  and  Toby  to  try  to  do  such  work 
as  Mr.  Job  Lord  had  laid  out  for  him. 

Just  ten  weeks  from  the  time  Toby  had  first  joined  the 
circus  Mr.  Castle  informed  him  and  Ella  that  they  were  to 
appear  in  public  on  the  following  day.  They  had  been 
practising  daily,  and  Toby  had  become  so  skilful  that  both 
Mr.  Castle  and  Mr.  Lord  saw  that  the  time  had  come  when 
he  could  be  made  to  earn  some  money  for  them. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TOBY'S  FRIENDS  PRESENT  HIM  WITH  A  COSTUME. 

tTKING  this  time  Toby's  funds  had  accumulated 
rather  slower  than  on  the  first  few  days  he  was  in 
the  business,  but  he  had  saved  eleven  dollars,  and 
Mr.  Lord  had  paid  him  five  dollars  of  his  salary, 
so  that  he  had  the  to  him  enormous  sum  of  sixteen  dollars ; 
and  he  had  about  made  up  his  mind  to  make  one  effort  for 
liberty,  when  the  news  came  that  he  was  to  ride  in  public. 

He  had,  in  fact,  been  ready  to  run  away  any  time  within 
the  past  week ;  but,  as  if  they  had  divined  his  intentions, 
both  Mr.  Castle  and  Mr.  Lord  had  kept  a  very  strict  watch 
over  him,  one  or  the  other  keeping  him  in  sight  from  the 
time  he  got  through  with  his  labors  at  night  until  they  saw 
him  on  the  cart  with  Old  Ben. 

"  I  was  just  gettin'  ready  to  run  away,"  said  Toby  to  Ella, 
on  the  day  Mr.  Castle  gave  his  decision  as  to  their  taking 
part  in  the  performance,  and  while  they  were  walking  out 
of  the  tent,  "  an'  I  shouldn't  wonder  now  if  I  got  away  to- 
night." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  185 

•'  Oh,  Toby  !"  exclaimed  the  girl,  as  she  looked  reproach- 
fully at  him,  "  after  all  the  work  we've  had  to  get  ready, 
you  won't  go  off  and  leave  me  before  we've  had  a  chance  to 
see  what  the  folks  will  say  when  they  see  us  together  ?" 

It  was  impossible  for  Toby  to  feel  any  delight  at  the  idea 
of  riding  in  public,  and  he  would  have  been  willing  to  have 
taken  one  of  Mr.  Lord's  most  severe  whippings  if  he  could 
have  escaped  from  it;  but  he  and  Ella  had  become  such 
firm  friends,  and  he  had  conceived  such  a  boyish  admira- 
tion for  her,  that  he  felt  as  if  he  were  willing  to  bear  almost 
anything  for  the  sake  of  giving  her  pleasure.  Therefore  he 
said,  after  a  few  moments'  reflection,  "  Well,  I  won't  go  to- 
night, anyway,  even  if  I  have  the  best  chance  that  ever  was. 
I'll  stay  one  day  more,  anyhow,  an'  perhaps  I'll  have  to  stay 
a  good  many." 

"  That's  a  nice  boy,"  said  Ella,  positively,  as  Toby  thus 
gave  his  decision,  "  and  I'll  kiss  you  for  it." 

Before  Toby  fully  realized  what  she  was  about,  almost 
before  he  had  understood  what  she  said,  she  had  put  her 
arms  around  his  neck  and  given  him  a  good  sound  kiss 
right  on  his  freckled  face. 

Toby  was  surprised,  astonished,  and  just  a  little  bit 
ashamed.  He  had  never  been  kissed  by  a  girl  before — very 
seldom  by  any  one,  save  the  fat  lady — and  he  hardly  knew 
what  to  do  or  say.  He  blushed  until  his  face  was  almost  as 


1 86  Toby  Tyler ;  or^ 

red  as  his  hair,  and  this  color  had  the  effect  of  making  his 
freckles  stand  out  with  startling  distinctness.  Then  he 
looked  carefully  around  to  see  if  any  one  had  seen  them. 

"  I  never  had  a  girl  kiss  me  before,"  said  Toby,  hesitating- 
ly, "  an'  you  see  it  made  me  feel  kinder  queer  to  have  you 
do  it  out  here,  where  everybody  could  see." 

"  Well,  I  kissed  you  because  I  like  you  very  much,  and  be- 
cause you  are  going  to  stay  and  ride  with  me  to-morrow," 
she  said,  positively ;  and  then  she  added,  slyly,  "  I  may  kiss 
you  again,  if  you  don't  get  a  chance  to  run  away  very  soon." 

"I  wish  it  wasn't  for  Uncle  Dan'l  an'  the  rest  of  the 
folks  at  home,  an'  there  wasn't  any  such  men  as  Mr.  Lord 
an'  Mr.  Castle,  an'  then  I  don't  know  but  I  might  want  to 
stay  with  the  circus,  'cause  I  like  you  awful  much.'7 

And  as  he  spoke  Toby's  heart  grew  very  tender  toward 
the  only  girl-friend  he  had  ever  known, 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  door  of  the  tent,  and 
as  they  stepped  outside  one  of  the  drivers  told  tliem  that 
Mr-  Treat  and  his  wife  were  very  anxious  to  see  both  of 
them  in  their  tent 

"I  don't  believe  I  can  go,"  said  Toby,  doubtfully,  as  he 
glanced  toward  the  booth,  where  Mr.  Lord  was  busy  in 
attending  to  customers,  and  evidently  waiting  for  Toby  to 
relieve  him,  so  that  he  could  go  to  his  dinner ;  "  I  don't 
believe  Mr.  Lord  will  let  me." 


V 


ELLA   AND   TOI»-Y. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  189 

"  Go  and  ask  him,"  said  Ella,  eagerly.  "  We  won't  be 
gone  but  a  minute." 

Toby  approached  his  employer  with  fear  and  trembling. 
He  had  never  before  asked  leave  to  be  away  from  his  work5 
even  for  a  moment,  and  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  his  re- 
quest would  be  refused  with  blows. 

"  Mr.  Treat  wants  me  to  come  in  his  tent  for  a  minute ; 
can  I  go  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  timid  voice,  and  in  such  a  low 
tone  as  to  render  it  almost  inaudible. 

Mr.  Lord  looked  at  him  for  an  instant,  and  Toby  was  sure 
that  he  was  making  up  his  mind  whether  to  kick  him,  or 
catch  him  by  the  collar  and  use  the  rubber  cane  on  him. 
But  he  had  no  such  intention,  evidently,  for  he  said,  in  a 
voice  unusually  mild,  "  Yes,  an'  you  needn't  come  to  work 
again  until  it's  time  to  go  into  the  tent." 

Toby  was  almost  alarmed  at  this  unusual  kindness,  and  it 
puzzled  him  so  much  that  he  would  have  forgotten  he  had 
permission  to  go  away  if  Ella  had  not  pulled  him  gently  by 
the  coat. 

If  he  had  heard  a  conversation  between  Mr.  Lord  and 
Mr.  Castle  that  very  morning  he  would  have  understood 
why  it  was  that  Mr.  Lord  had  so  suddenly  become  kind. 
Mr.  Castle  had  told  Job  that  the  boy  had  really  shown  him- 
self to  be  a  good  rider,  and  that  in  order  to  make  him  more 
contented  with  his  lot,  and  to  keep  him  from  running  away, 


190  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

he  must  be  used  more  kindly,  and  perhaps  be  taken  from 
the  candy  business  altogether,  which  latter  advice  Mr.  Lord 
did  not  look  upon  with  favor,  because  of  the  large  sales 
which  the  boy  made. 

When  they  reached  the  skeleton's  tent  they  found  to  their 
surprise  that  no  exhibition  was  being  given  at  that  hour, 
and  Ella  said,  with  some  concern,  "  How  queer  it  is  that  the 
doors  are  not  open !  I  do  hope  that  they  are  not  sick." 

Toby  felt  a  strange  sinking  at  his  heart  as  the  possibility 
suggested  itself  that  one  or  both  of  his  kind  friends  might 
be  ill ;  for  they  had  both  been  so  kind  and  attentive  to  him 
that  he  had  learned  to  love  them  very  dearly. 

But  the  fears  of  both  the  children  were  dispelled  when 
they  tried  to  get  in  at  the  door,  and  were  met  by  the  smil- 
ing skeleton  himself,  who  said,  as  he  threw  the  canvas  aside 
as  far  as  if  he  were  admitting  his  own  enormous  Lilly, 

"  Come  in,  my  friends,  come  in.  I  have  had  the  exhibi- 
tion closed  for  one  hour,  in  order  that  I  might  show  my  ap- 
preciation of  my  friend  Mr.  Tyler." 

Toby  looked  around  in  some  alarm,  fearing  that  IVTr. 
Treat's  friendship  was  about  to  be  displayed  in  one  of  his 
state  dinners,  which  he  had  learned  to  fear  rather  than  en- 
joy. But,  as  he  saw  no  preparations  for  dinner,  he  breathed 
more  freely,  and  wondered  what  all  this  ceremony  could 
possibly  mean. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  191 

Neither  he  Dor  Ella  was  long  left  in  doubt,  for  as  soon 
as  they  had  entered,  Mrs.  Treat  waddled  from  behind  the 
screen  which  served  them  as  a  dressing-room,  with  a  bundle 
in  her  arms,  which  she  handed  to  her  husband. 

He  took  it,  and,  quickly  mounting  the  platform,  leaving 
Ella  and  Toby  below,  he  commenced  to  speak,  with  very 
many  flourishes  of  his  thin  arms. 

"  My  friends,"  he  began,  as  he  looked  down  upon  his  au- 
dience of  three,  who  were  listening  in  the  following  atti- 
tudes: Ella  and  Toby  were  standing  upon  the  ground  at  the 
foot  of  the  platform,  looking  up  with  wide-open,  staring 
eyes ;  and  his  fleshy  wife  was  seated  on  a  bench  which  had 
evidently  been  placed  in  such  a  position  below  the  speaker's 
stand  that  she  could  hear  and  see  all  that  was  going  on 
without  the  fatigue  of  standing  up,  which,  for  one  of  her 
size,  was  really  very  hard  work — "  My  friends,"  repeated  the 
skeleton,  as  he  held  his  bundle  in  front  of  him  with  one 
hand  and  gesticulated  with  the  other,  "  we  all  of  us  know 
that  to-morrow  our  esteemed  and  worthy  friend  Mr.  Toby 
Tyler  makes  his  first  appearance  in  any  ring,  and  we  all  of 
us  believe  that  he  will  soon  become  a  bright  and  shining 
light  in  the  profession  which  he  is  so  soon  to  enter." 

The  speaker  was  here  interrupted  by  loud  applause  from 
his  wife,  and  he  profited  by  the  opportunity  to  wipe  a  stray 
drop  of  perspiration  from  his  fleshless  face.  Then,  as  the 


192  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

fat  lady  ceased  the  exertion  of  clapping  her  hands,  he  con« 
tinued : 

"Knowing  that  our  friend  Mr.  Tyler  was  being  in- 
structed, preparatory  to  dazzling  the  public  with  his  talents, 
my  wife  and  I  began  to  prepare  for  him  some  slight  testi- 
monial of  our  esteem ;  and,  being  informed  by  Mr.  Castle 
some  days  ago  of  the  day  on  which  he  was  to  make  his  first 
appearance  before  the  public,  we  were  enabled  to  complete 
our  little  gift  in  time  for  the  great  and  important  event." 

Here  the  skeleton  paused  to  take  a  breath,  and  Toby  be- 
gan to  grow  most  uncomfortably  red  in  the  face.  Such 
praise  made  him  feel  very  awkward. 

66 1  hold  in  this  bundle,"  continued  Mr.  Treat  as  he  waved 
the  package  on  high,  "  a  costume  for  our  bold  and  worthy 
equestrian,  and  a  sash  to  match  for  his  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished companion.  In  presenting  these  little  tokens  my 
wife  (who  has  embroidered  every  incli  of  the  velvet  herself) 
and  I  feel  proud  to  know  that,  when  the  great  and  auspi- 
cious occasion  occurs  to-morrow,  the  worthy  Mr.  Tyler  will 
step  into  the  ring  in  a  costume  which  we  have  prepared  ex- 
pressly for  him ;  and  thus,  when  he  does  himself  honor  by 
his  performance  and  earns  the  applause  of  the  multitude, 
he  will  be  doing  honor  and  earning  applause  for  the  work 
of  our  hands — my  wife  Lilly  and  myself.  Take  them,  my 
boy;  and  when  you  array  yourself  in  them  to-morrow  you 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  193 

will  remember  that  the  only  Living  Skeleton,  and  the  won- 
der of  the  nineteenth  century  in  the  shape  of  the  Mammoth 
Lad}7,  are  present  in  their  works  if  not  in  their  persons." 

As  he  finished  speaking  Mr.  Treat  handed  the  bundle  to 
Toby,  and  then  joined  in  the  applause  which  was  being 
given  by  Mrs.  Treat  and  Ella. 

Toby  unrolled  the  package,  and  found  that  it  contained  a 
circus-rider's  costume  of  pink  tights  and  blue  velvet  trunks, 
collar  and  cuffs,  embroidered  in  white  and  plentifully  span- 
gled with  silver.  In  addition  was  a  wide  blue  sash  for  Ella, 
embroidered  to  correspond  with  Toby's  costume. 

The  little  fellow  was  both  delighted  with  the  gift  and  at 
a  loss  to  know  what  to  say  in  response.  He  looked  at  the 
costume  over  and  over  again,  and  the  tears  of  gratitude  that 
these  friends  should  have  been  so  good  to  him  came  into 
his  eyes.  He  saw,  however,  that  they  were  expecting  him 
to  say  something  in  reply,  and,  laying  the  gift  on  the  plat- 
form, he  said  to  the  skeleton  and  his  wife, 

"  You've  been  so  good  to  me  ever  since  I've  been  with 
the  circus  that  I  wish  I  was  big  enough  to  say  somethin' 
more  than  that  I'm  much  obliged,  but  I  can't.  One  of  these 
days,  when  I'm  a  man,  I'll  show  you  how  much  I  like  you, 
an'  then  you  won't  be  sorry  that  you  was  good  to  such  a 
poor  little  runaway  boy  as  I  am." 

Here  the  skeleton  broke  in  with  such  loud  applause  and  so 


194  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

many  cries  of  "  Hear !  hear !"  that  Toby  grew  still  more  con- 
fused, and  forgot  entirely  what  he  was  intending  to  say  next. 

"  I  want  you  to  know  how  much  obliged  I  am,"  he  said, 
after  some  hesitation,  "  an'  when  I  wear  'em  I'll  ride  just 
the  best  I  know  how,  even  if  I  don't  want  to,  an'  you  sha'n't 
be  sorry  that  you  gave  them  to  me." 

Aft  Toby  concluded  he  made  a  funny  little  awkward  bow, 
and  then  seemed  to  be  trying  to  hide  himself  behind  a  chair 
from  the  applause  which  was  given  so  generously. 

"  Bless  your  dear  little  heart !"  said  the  fat  lady,  after 
the  confusion  had  somewhat  subsided.  "  I  know  you  will 
do  your  best,  anyway,  and  I'm  glad  to  know  that  you're 
going  to  make  your  first  appearance  in  something  that  Sam- 
uel and  I  made  for  you." 

Ella  was  quite  as  well  pleased  with  her  sash  as  Toby  was 
with  his  costume,  and  thanked  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treat  in  a  pret- 
ty little  way  that  made  Toby  wish  he  could  say  anything 
half  so  nicely. 

The  hour  which  the  skeleton  had  devoted  for  the  purpose 
of  the  presentation  and  accompanying  speeches  having 
elapsed,  it  was  necessary  that  Ella  and  Toby  should  go,  and 
that  the  doors  of  the  exhibition  be  opened  at  once,  in  order 
to  give  any  of  the  public  an  opportunity  of  seeing  what  the 
placards  announced  as  two  of  the  greatest  curiosities  on  the 
face  of  the  globe. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  195 

That  day,  while  Toby  performed  his  arduous  labors,  his 
heart  was  very  light,  for  the  evidences  which  the  skeleton 
and  his  wife  had  given  of  their  regard  for  him  were  very 
gratifying.  He  determined  that  he  would  do  his  very  best 
to  please  so  long  as  he  was  with  the  circus,  and  then,  when 
he  got  a  chance  to  run  away,  he  would  do  so,  but  not  until 
he  had  said  good-bye  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treat,  and  thanked 
them  again  for  their  interest  in  him. 

When  he  had  finished  his  work  in  the  tent  that  night  Mr. 
Lord  said  to  him,  as  he  patted  him  on  the  back  in  the  most 
fatherly  fashion,  and  as  if  he  had  never  spoken  a  harsh  word 
to  him, "  You  can't  come  in  here  to  sell  candy  now  that  you 
are  one  of  the  performers,  my  boy ;  an'  if  I  can  find  another 
boy  to-morrow  you  won't  have  to  work  in  the  booth  any 
longer,  an'  your  salary  of  a  dollar  a  week  will  go  on  just  the 
same,  even  if  you  don't  have  anything  to  do  but  to  ride." 

This  was  a  bit  of  news  that  was  as  welcome  to  Toby  as  it 
was  unexpected,  and  he  felt  more  happy  then  than  he  had 
for  the  ten  weeks  that  he  had  been  travelling  under  Mr. 
Lord's  cruel  mastership. 

But  there  was  one  thing  that  night  that  rather  damped 
his  joy,  and  that  was  that  he  noticed  that  Mr.  Lord  was  un- 
usually careful  to  watch  him,  not  even  allowing  him  to  go 
outside  the  tent  without  following.  He  saw  at  once  that,  if 
he  was  to  have  a  more  easy  time,  his  chances  for  running 


196  Toby  Tyler 

away  were  greatly  diminished,  and  no  number  of  beautiful 
costumes  would  have  made  him  content  to  stay  with  the 
circus  one  moment  longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 

That  night  he  told  Old  Ben  of  the  events  of  the  day,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  he  might  acquit  himself  creditably 
when  he  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  following  day. 

Ben  sat  thoughtfully  for  some  time,  and  then,  making  all 
the  preparations  which  Toby  knew  so  well  signified  a  long 
bit  of  advice,  he  said,  "  Toby,  my  boy,  I've  been  with  a  cir- 
cus, man  an5  boy,  nigh  to  forty  years,  an'  I've  seen  lots  of 
youngsters  start  in  just  as  you're  goin'  to  start'  in  to-morrow  •, 
but  the  most  of  them  petered  out,  because  they  got  to  know- 
in'  more'n  them  that  learned  'em  did.  Now,  you  remember 
what  I  say,  an'  you'll  find  it  good  advice :  whatever  busi- 
ness you  get  into,  don't  think  you  know  all  about  it  before 
you've  begun.  Remember  that  you  can  always  learn  some- 
thin',  no  matter  how  old  you  are,  an'  keep  your  eyes  an'  ears 
open,  an'  your  tongue  between  your  teeth,  an'  you'll  amount 
to  something  or  rny  name  hain't  Ben." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TOBY'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE  IN  THE  RING. 

HEN  the  circus  entered  the  town  which  had 
been  selected  as  the  place  where  Toby  was  to 
make  his  debut  as  a  circus  rider  the  boy  no- 
ticed a  new  poster  among  the  many  glaring  and 
gaudy  bills  which  set  forth  the  varied  and  numerous  attrac- 
tions that  were  to  be  found  under  one  canvas  for  a  trifling 
admission  fee,  and  he  noticed  it  with  some  degree  of 
interest,  not  thinking  for  a  moment  that  it  had  any  refer- 
ence to  him. 

It  was  printed  very  much  as  follows : 

MADEMOISELLE     JEANNETTE 

AM) 

MONSIEUR    AJAX, 

two  of  the  youngest   equestrians  in   the  world,  will  perform  their 
graceful,  dashing,  and  daring  act  entitled 

THE  TRIUMPH   OF  THE   INNOCENTS! 
This  is  the  first  appearance  of  these  daring  young  riders  together 


ig&  Toby  Tyler ;  or% 

since  their  separation  in  Europe  last  season,  and  their  performance 
in  this  town  will  have  a  new  and  novel  interest.    See 

MADEMOISELLE    JEANNETTE 

AND 

MONSIEUR    AJAX. 

*  Look  there !"  said  Toby  to  Ben,  as  he  pointed  out  the 
poster,  which  was  printed  in  very  large  letters,  with  gor- 
geous coloring,  and  surmounted  by  a  picture  of  two  very 
small  people  performing  all  kinds  of  impossible  feats  on 
horseback.  "  They've  got  some  one  else  to  ride  with  Ella 
to-day.  I  wonder  who  it  can  be  ?" 

Ben  looked  at  Toby  for  a  moment,  as  if  to  assure  him- 
self that  the  boy  was  in  earnest  in  asking  the  question,  and 
then  he  relapsed  into  the  worst  fit  of  silent  laughing  that 
Toby  had  ever  seen.  After  he  had  quite  recovered  he 
asked,  "Don't  you  know  who  Monsieur  Ajax  is?  Hain't 
you  never  seen  him  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Toby,  at  a  loss  to  understand  what  there 
was  so  very  funny  in  his  very  natural  question.  "  I  thought 
that  I  was  goin'  to  ride  with  Ella." 

"Why,  that's  you!"  almost  screamed  Ben,  in  delight. 
"Monsieur  Ajax  means  you  —  didn't  you  know  it?  You 
don't  suppose  they  would  go  to  put  'Toby  Tyler'  on  the 
bills,  do  you  ?  How  it  would  look ! — '  Mademoiselle  Jean- 
nette  an'  Monsieur  Toby  Tyler !'  " 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  199 

Ben  was  off  in  one  of  his  laughing  spells  again ;  and  Toby 
sat  there,  stiff  and  straight,  hardly  knowing  whether  to  join 
in  the  mirth  or  to  get  angry  at  the  sport  which  had  been 
made  of  his  name. 

"I  don't  care,"  he  said  at  length.  "I'm  sure  I  think 
Toby  Tyler  sounds  just  as  well  as  Monsieur  Ajax,  an'  I'm 
sure  it  fits  me  a  good  deal  better." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Ben,  soothingly ;  "  but  you  see  it 
wouldn't  go  down  so  well  with  the  public.  They  want 
furrin  riders,  an'  they  must  have  'em,  even  if  it  does  spoil 
your  name." 

Despite  the  fact  that  he  did  not  like  the  new  name  that 
had  been  given  him,  Toby  could  not  but  feel  pleased  at 
the  glowing  terms  in  which  his  performance  was  set  off; 
but  he  did  not  at  all  relish  the  lie  that  was  told  about  his 
having  been  with  Ella  in  Europe,  and  he  would  have  been 
very  much  better  pleased  if  that  portion  of  it  had  been  left 
off. 

During  the  forenoon  he  did  not  go  near  Mr.  Lord  nor 
his  candy  stand,  for  Mr.  Castle  kept  him  and  Ella  busily 
engaged  in  practising  the  feat  which  they  were  to  perform 
in  the  afternoon,  and  it  was  almost  time  for  the  perform- 
ance to  begin  before  they  were  allowed  even  to  go  to  their 
dinner. 

Ella,  who  had  performed  several  years,  was  very  much 


2oo  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

more  excited  over  the  coming  debut  than  Toby  was,  and 
the  reason  why  he  did  not  show  more  interest  was,  probably, 
because  of  his  great  desire  to  leave  the  circus  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  during  that  forenoon  he  thought  very  much 
more  of  how  he  should  get  back  to  Gnilford  and  Uncle 
Daniel  than  he  did  of  how  he  should  get  along  when  he 
stood  before  the  audience. 

Mr.  Castle  assisted  his  pupil  to  dress,  and  when  that  was 
done  to  his  entire  satisfaction  he  said,  in  a  stern  voice, 
"  Now,  you  can  do  this  act  all  right,  and  if  you  slip  up  on 
it,  and  don't  do  it  as  you  ought  to,  I'll  give  you  such  a  whip- 
ping when  you  come  out  of  the  ring  that  you'll  think  Job 
was  only  fooling  with  you  when  he  tried  to  whip  you." 

Toby  had  been  feeling  reasonably  cheerful  before  this, 
but  these  words  dispelled  all  his  cheerful  thoughts,  and  he 
was  looking  most  disconsolate  when  Old  Ben  came  into  the 
dressing- tent. 

"All  ready  are  you,  iny  boy?"  said  the  old  man,  in  his 
cheeriest  voice.  "  Well,  that's  good,  an'  you  look  as  nice  as 
possible.  Now,  remember  what  I  told  you  last  night,  Toby, 
an'  go  in  there  to  do  your  level  best  an'  make  a  name  for 
yourself.  Come  out  here  with  me  an'  wait  for  the  young 
lady." 

These  cheering  words  of  Ben's  did  Toby  as  much  good 
as  Mr.  Castle's  had  the  reverse,  and  as  he  stepped  out  of 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  201 

the  dressing-room  to  the  place  where  the  horses  were  being 
saddled  Toby  resolved  that  he  would  do  his  very  best  that 
afternoon,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  please  his  old 
friend. 

Toby  was  not  naturally  what  might  be  called  a  pretty 
boy,  for  his  short  red  hair  and  his  freckled  face  prevented 
any  great  display  of  beauty;  but  he  was  a  good,  honest- 
looking  boy,  and  in  his  tasteful  costume  looked  very  nice 
indeed — so  nice  that,  could  Mrs.  Treat  have  seen  him  just 
then,  she  would  have  been  very  proud  of  her  handiwork 
and  hugged  him  harder  than  ever. 

He  had  been  waiting  but  a  few  moments  when  Ella  came 
from  her  dressing-room,  and  Toby  was  very  much  pleased 
when  he  saw  by  the  expression  of  her  face  that  she  was  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  his  appearance. 

"We'll  both  do  just  as  well  as  we  can,"  she  whispered  to 
him,  "  and  I  know  the  people  will  like  us,  and  make  us 
come  back  after  we  get  through.  And  if  they  do  mamma 
says  she'll  give  each  one  of  us  a  gold  dollar." 

She  had  taken  hold  of  Toby's  hand  as  she  spoke,  and  her 
manner  was  so  earnest  and  anxious  that  Toby  was  more 
excited  than  he  ever  had  been  about  his  debut  /  and,  had  he 
gone  into  the  ring  just  at  that  moment,  the  chances  are  that 
he  would  have  surprised  even  his  teacher  by  his  riding. 

"I'll  do  just  as  well  as  I  can,"  said  Toby,  in  reply  to  his 


202  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

little  companion,  "  an'  if  we  earn  the  dollars  I'll  have  a 
hole  bored  in  mine,  an'  you  shall  wear  it  around  your  neck 
to  remember  me  by." 

"  I'll  remember  yon  without  that,"  she  whispered ;  "  and 
I'll  give  you  mine,  so  that  you  shall  have  so  much  the  more 
when  you  go  to  your  home." 

There  was  no  time  for  further  conversation,  for  Mr. 
Castle  entered  just  then  to  tell  them  that  they  must  go  in 
in  another  moment.  The  horses  were  all  ready — a  black 
one  for  Toby,  and  a  white  one  for  Ella — and  they  stood 
champing  their  bits  and  pawing  the  earth  in  their  impa- 
tience until  the  silver  bells  with  which  they  were  decorated 
rung  out  quick,  nervous  little  chimes  that  accorded  very 
well  with  Toby's  feelings. 

Ella  squeezed  Toby's  hand  as  they  stood  waiting  for  the 
curtain  to  be  raised  that  they  might  enter,  and  he  had  just 
time  to  return  it  when  the  signal  was  given,  and  almost 
before  he  was  aware  of  it  they  were  standing  in  the  ring, 
kissing  their  hands  to  the  crowds  that  packed  the  enor- 
mous tent  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

Thanks  to  the  false  announcement  about  the  separation 
of  the  children  in  Europe  and  their  reunion  in  this  particu- 
lar town,  the  applause  was  long  and  loud,  and  before  it  had 
died  away  Toby  had  time  to  recover  a  little  from  the  queer 
feeling  which  this  sea  of  heads  gave  him. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  203 

He  had  never  seen  such  a  crowd  before,  except  as  he  had 
seen  them  as  he  walked  around  at  the  foot  of  the  seats,  and 
then  they  had  simply  looked  like  so  many  human  beings; 
but  as  he  saw  them  now  from  the  ring  they  appeared  like 
strange  rows  of  heads  without  bodies,  and  he  had  hard  work 
to  keep  from  running  back  behind  the  curtain  from  whence 
he  had  come. 

Mr.  Castle  acted  as  the  ring-master  this  time,  and  after 
he  had  introduced  them — very  much  after  the  fashion  of 
the  posters — and  the  clown  had  repeated  some  funny  joke, 
the  horses  were  led  in,  and  they  were  assisted  to  mount. 

"  Don't  mind  the  people  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Castle,  in  a  low 
voice, "  but  ride  just  as  if  you  were  alone  here  with  me." 

The  music  struck  up,  the  horses  cantered  around  the 
ring,  and  Toby  had  really  started  as  a  circus  rider. 

"  Remember,"  said  Ella  to  him,  in  a  low  tone,  just  as  the 
horses  started,  "you  told  me  that  you  would  ride  just  as 
well  as  you  could,  and  we  must  earn  the  dollars  mamma 
promised." 

it  seemed  to  Toby  at  first  as  if  he  could  not  stand  up  \ 
but  by  the  time  they  had  ridden  around  the  ring  once,  and 
Ella  had  again  cautioned  him  against  making  any  mistake, 
for  the  sake  of  the  money  which  they  were  going  to  earn, 
he  was  calm  and  collected  enough  to  carry  out  his  part  of 
the  "  act "  as  well  as  if  he  had  been  simply  taking  a  lesson. 


2O4  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

The  act  consisted  in  their  riding  side  by  side,  jumping 
over  banners  and  through  hoops  covered  with  paper,  and 
then  the  most  difficult  portion  began. 

The  saddles  were  taken  off  the  horses,  and  they  were  to 
ride  first  on  one  horse  and  then  on  the  other,  until  they  con- 
cluded their  performance  by  riding  twice  around  the  ring 
side  by  side,  standing  on  their  horses,  each  one  with  a  hand 
on  the  other's  shoulder. 

All  this  was  successfully  accomplished  without  a  single 
error,  and  when  they  rode  out  of  the  ring  the  applause  was 
so  great  as  to  leave  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  be  recall- 
ed, and  thus  earn  the  promised  money. 

In  fact,  they  had  hardly  got  inside  the  curtain  when  one 
of  the  attendants  called  to  them,  and  before  they  had  time 
even  to  speak  to  each  other  they  were  in  the  ring  again,  re- 
peating the  last  portion  of  their  act. 

When  they  came  out  of  the  ring  for  the  second  time 
they  found  Old  Ben,  the  skeleton,  the  fat  lady,  and  Mr. 
Jacob  Lord  waiting  to  welcome  them ;  but  before  any  one 
could  say  a  word  Ella  had  stood  on  tiptoe  again  and  given 
Toby  just  such  another  kiss  as  she  did  when  he  told  her 
that  he  would  surely  stay  long  enough  to  appear  in  the  ring 
with  her  once. 

"That's  because  you  rode  so  well  and  helped  me  so 
much,"  she  said,  as  she  saw  Toby's  cheeks  growing  a  fiery 


MADEMOISELLE  JEANNETTE   AND   MONSIEUR   AJAX. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus  207 

red;  and  then  she  turned  to  those  who  were  waiting  to 
greet  her. 

Mrs.  Treat  took  her  in  her  enormous  arras,  and  having 
kissed  her,  put  her  down  quickly,  and  clasped  Toby  as  if 
he  had  been  a  very  small  walnut  and  her  arms  a  very  large 
pair  of  nut-crackers. 

"  Bless  the  boy !"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  kissed  him  again 
and  again  with  an  energy  and  force  that  made  her  kisses 
sound  like  the  crack  of  the  whip,  and  caused  the  horses  to 
stamp  in  affright.  "  I  knew  he'd  amount  to  something  one 
of  these  days,  an'  Samuel  an'  I  had  to  come  out,  when  busi- 
ness was  dull,  just  to  see  how  he  got  along." 

It  was  some  time  before  she  would  unloose  him  from  her 
motherly  embrace,  and  when  she  did  the  skeleton  grasped 
him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  in  the  most  pompous  and  af- 
fected manner, 

"  Mr.  Tyler,  we're  proud  of  you,  and  when  we  saw  that 
costume  of  yours,  that  my  Lilly  embroidered  with  her  own 
hands,  we  was  both  proud  of  it  and  what  it  contained. 
You're  a  great  rider,  my  boy,  a  great  rider,  and  you'll  stand 
at  the  head  of  the  profession  some  day,  if  you  only  stick 
to  it." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  was  all  Toby  had  time  to  say  before 
Old  Ben  had  him  by  the  hand,  and  the  skeleton  was  pour- 
ing out  his  congratulations  in  little  Miss  Ella's  ear. 


2OB  Toby  Tyler ;  or% 

"  Toby,  my  boy,  you  did  well,  an'  now  you'll  amount  to 
something,  if  you  only  remember  what  I  told  you  last 
night,"  said  Ben,  as  he  looked  upon  the  boy  whom  he  had 
come  to  think  of  as  his  protege,  with  pride.  "  I  never  seen 
anybody  of  your  age  do  any  better;  an'  now,  instead  of 
bein'  only  a  candy  peddler,  you're  one  of  the  stars  of  the 
show." 

"  Thank  you,  Ben,"  was  all  that  Toby  could  say,  for  he 
knew  that  his  old  friend  meant  every  word  that  he  said, 
and  it  pleased  him  so  much  that  he  could  say  no  more 
than  "  Thank  you  "  in  reply. 

"I  feel  as  if  your  triumph  was  mine,"  said  Mr.  Lord, 
looking  benignly  at  Toby  from  out  his  crooked  eye,  and  as- 
suming the  most  fatherly  tone  at  his  command;  "I  have 
learned  to  look  upon  you  almost  as  my  own  son,  and  your 
success  is  very  gratifying  to  me." 

Toby  was  not  at  all  flattered  by  this  last  praise.  If  he 
had  never  seen  Mr.  Lord  before,  he  might,  and  probably 
would,  have  been  deceived  by  his  words ;  but  he  had  seen 
him  too  often,  and  under  too  many  painful  circumstances, 
to  be  at  all  swindled  by  his  words. 

Toby  was  very  much  pleased  with  his  success  and  by 
the  praise  he  received  from  all,  and  when  the  proprietor  of 
the  circus  came  along,  patted  him  on  the  head,  and  told 
him  that  he  rode  very  nicely,  he  was  quite  happy,  until  he 


Ten  Weeks  witli  a  Circus.  209 

chanced  to  see  the  greedy  twinkle  in  Mr.  Lord's  eye,  and 
then  he  knew  that  all  this  success  and  all  this  praise  were 
only  binding  him  faster  to  the  show  which  he  was  so  anx- 
ious to  escape  from ;  his  pleasure  vanished  very  quickly, 
and  in  its  stead  came  a  bitter,  homesick  feeling  which  no 
amount  of  praise  could  banish. 

It  was  Old  Ben  who  helped  him  to  undress  after  the 
skeleton  and  the  fat  lady  had  gone  back  to  their  tent,  and 
Ella  had  gone  to  dress  for  her  appearance  with  her  mother, 
for  now  she  was  obliged  to  ride  twice  at  each  performance. 
When  Toby  was  in  his  ordinary  clothes  again  Ben  said, 

"Now  that  you're  one  of  the  performers,  Toby,  you 
won't  have  to  sell  candy  any  more,  an'  you'll  have  the 
most  of  your  time  to  yourself,  so  let's  you  an'  I  go  out  an' 
see  the  town." 

"  Don't  you  s'pose  Mr.  Lord  expects  me  to  go  to  work 
for  him  again  to-day  ?" 

"  An'  s'posin'  he  does  ?"  said  Ben,  with  a  chuckle.  "  You 
don't  s'pose  the  boss  would  let  any  one  that  rides  in  the 
ring  stand  behind  Job  Lord's  counter,  do  you  ?  You  can 
do  just  as  you  have  a  mind  to,  my  boy,  an'  I  say  to  you, 
let's  go  out  an'  see  the  town.  What  do  you  say  to  it  ?" 

"  I'd  like  to  go  first-rate,  if  I  dared  to,"  replied  Toby> 
thinking  of  the  many  whippings  he  had  received  for  far 
loss  than  that  which  Ben  now  proposed  he  should  do. 


2iO  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

"  Oh,  I'll  take  care  that  Job  don't  bother  you,  so  come 
ilong ;"  and  Ben  started  out  of  the  tent,  and  Toby  followed, 
feeling  considerably  frightened  at  this  first  act  of  disobed' 
3nce  against  his  old  master. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

OFF    FOB     HOME! 

TIRING  this  walk  Toby  learned  many  things  that 
were  of  importance  to  him,  so  far  as  his  plan  for 
running  away  was  concerned.  In  the  first  place, 
he  gleaned  from  the  railroad  posters  that  were 
stuck  up  in  the  hotel  to  which  they  went  that  he  could  buy 
a  ticket  for  Guilford  for  seven  dollars,  and  also  that,  by 
going  back  to  the  town  from  which  they  had  just  come,  he 
could  go  to  Guilford  by  steamer  for  live  dollars. 

By  returning  to  this  last  town — and  Toby  calculated  that 
the  fare  on  the  stage  back  there  could  not  be  more  than  a 
dollar — he  would  have  ten  dollars  left,  and  that  surely  ought 
to  be  sufficient  to  buy  food  enough  for  two  days  for  the 
most  hungry  boy  that  ever  lived. 

When  they  returned  to  the  circus  grounds  the  perform- 
ance was  over,  and  Mr.  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  brisk  trade 
which  he  usually  had  after  the  afternoon  performance,  and 
yet,  so  far  from  scolding  Toby  for  going  away,  he  actually 
smiled  and  bowed  at  him  as  he  saw  him  go  by  with  Ben. 


212  Toby   Tyler;  or, 

"See  there,  Toby,"  said  the  old  driver  to  the  boy,  as  he 
gave  him  a  vigorous  poke  in  the  ribs  and  then  went  off  into 
one  of  his  dreadful  laughing  spells — "  see  what  it  is  to  be  a 
performer,  an'  not  workin'  for  such  an  old  fossil  as  Job  is ! 
He'll  be  so  sweet  to  you  now  that  sugar  won't  melt  in  his 
mouth,  an'  there's  no  chance  of  his  ever  attemptin'  to  whip 
you  again." 

Toby  made  no  reply,  for  he  was  too  busily  engaged  think- 
ing of  something  which  had  just  come  into  his  mind  to 
know  that  his  friend  had  spoken. 

But  as  Old  Ben  hardly  knew  whether  the  boy  had  an- 
swered him  or  not,  owing  to  his  being  obliged  to  struggle 
with  his  breath  lest  he  should  lose  it  in  the  second  laughing 
spell  that  attacked  him,  the  boy's  thoughtfulness  was  not 
particularly  noticed. 

Toby  walked  around  the  show-grounds  for  a  little  while 
with  his  old  friend,  and  then  the  two  went  to  supper,  where 
Toby  performed  quite  as  great  wonders  in  the  way  of  eat- 
ing as  he  had  in  the  afternoon  by  riding. 

As  soon  as  the  supper  was  over  he  quietly  slipped  away 
from  Old  Ben,  and  at  once  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Treat,  whom  he  found  cosily  engaged  with  their  supper  be- 
hind the  screen. 

They  welcomed  Toby  most  cordially,  and,  despite  his  as- 
sertions that  he  had  just  finished  a  very  hearty  meal,  the  fat 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  213 

lady  made  him  sit  down  to  the  box  which  served  as  table, 
and  insisted  on  his  trying  some  of  her  doughnuts. 

Under  all  these  pressing  attentions  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore Toby  found  a  chance  to  say  that  which  he  had  come  to 
say,  and  when  he  did  he  was  almost  at  a  loss  how  to  pro- 
ceed ;  but  at  last  he  commenced  by  starting  abruptly  on  his 
subject  with  the  words,  "  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  leave 
to-night." 

"Leave  to-night?"  repeated  the  skeleton,  inquiringly,  not 
for  a  moment  believing  that  Toby  could  think  of  running 
away  after  the  brilliant  success  he  had  just  made.  "What 
do  you  mean,  Toby  ?" 

"  Why,  you  know  that  I've  been  wantin'  to  get  away  from 
the  circus,"  said  Toby,  a  little  impatient  that  his  friend 
should  be  so  wonderfully  stupid,  "  an'  I  think  that  I'll  have 
as  good  a  chance  now  as  ever  I  shall,  so  I'm  goin'  to  try  it." 

"Bless  us!"  exclaimed  the  fat  lady,  in  a  gasping  way. 
*Yon  don't  mean  to  say  that  you're  goin'  off  just  when 
you've  started  in  the  business  so  well?  I  thought  you'd 
want  to  stay  after  you'd  been  so  well  received  this  after- 
noon." 

"No,"  said  Toby — and  one  quick  little  sob  popped  righi 
up  from  his  heart  and  out  before  he  was  aware  of  it — "I 
learned  to  ride  because  I  had  to,  but  I  never  give  up  run- 
nin'  away.  I  must  see  Uncle  Dau'l,  an'  tell  him  how  sorry 


214  Toby  Tyler;  or> 

I  am  for  what  I  did ;  an'  if  he  won't  have  anything  to  say 
to  me  then  I'll  come  back;  but  if  he'll  let  me  I'll  stay 
there,  an'  I'll  be  so  good  that  by-'n'-by  he'll  forget  that  I 
run  off  an'  left  him  without  sayin'  a  word." 

There  was  such  a  touch  of  sorrow  in  his  tones,  so  much 
pathos  in  his  way  of  speaking,  that  good  Mrs.  Treat's  heart 
was  touched  at  once ;  and  putting  her  arms  around  the  little 
fellow,  as  if  to  shield  him  from  some  harm,  she  said,  ten- 
derly, "  And  so  you  shall  go,  Toby,  my  boy ;  but  if  you  ever 
want  a  home  or  anybody  to  love  you  come  right  here  to  us, 
and  you'll  never  be  sorry.  So  long  as  Sam  keeps  thin  and 
I  fat  enough  to  draw  the  public,  you  never  need  say  that 
you're  homeless,  for  nothing  would  please  us  better  than  to 
have  you  come  to  live  with  us." 

For  reply  Toby  raised  his  head  and  kissed  her  on  the 
cheek,  a  proceeding  which  caused  her  to  squeeze  him  harder 
than  ever. 

During  this  conversation  the  skeleton  had  remained  very 
thoughtful.  After  a  moment  or  two  he  got  up  from  his  seat, 
went  outside  the  tent,  and  presently  returned  with  a  quan- 
tity of  silver  ten-cent  pieces  in  his  hand. 

"  Here,  Toby,"  he  said — and  it  was  to  be  seen  that  he 
was  really  too  much  affected  even  to  attempt  one  of  his 
speeches — "  it's  right  that  you  should  go,  for  I've  known 
what  it  is  to  feel  just  as  you  do.  What  Lilly  said  about 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  215 

your  having  a  home  with  us  I  say,  an'  here's  five  dollars 
that  I  want  you  to  take  to  help  you  along." 

At  first  Toby  stoutly  refused  to  take  the  money ;  but  they 
both  insisted  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  actually  forced 
to,  and  then  he  stood  up  to  go. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  try  to  slip  off  after  Job  packs  up  the  out- 
side booth  if  I  can,"  he  said,  "  an'  it  was  to  say  good-bye 
that  I  come  around  here." 

Again  Mrs.  Treat  took  the  boy  in  her  arms,  as  if  it  were 
one  of  her  own  children  who  was  leaving  her,  and  as  she 
stroked  his  hair  back  from  his  forehead  she  said,  "Don't 
forget  us,  Toby,  even  if  you  never  do  see  us  again ;  try  an' 
romember  how  much  we  cared  for  you,  an'  how  much  com- 
fort you're  taking  away  from  us  when  you  go ;  for  it  was  a 
comfort  to  see  you  around,  even  if  you  wasn't  with  us  very 
much.  Don't  forget  us,  Toby,  an'  if  you  ever  get  the  chance 
come  an'  see  us.  Good-bye,  Toby,  good-bye."  And  the  kind- 
hearted  woman  kissed  him  again  and  again,  and  then  turned 
her  back  resolutely  upon  him,  lest  it  should  be  bad  luck  to 
him  if  she  again  saw  him  after  saying  good-bye. 

The  skeleton's  parting  was  not  quite  so  demonstrative. 
He  clasped  Toby's  hand  with  one  set  of  his  fleshless  fingers, 
while  with  the  other  he  wiped  one  or  two  suspicious-looking 
drops  of  moisture  from  his  eyes,  as  he  said,  "  I  hope  you'll 
get  along  all  right,  my  boy,  and  I  believe  you  will.  You 


216  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

will  get  home  to  Uncle  Daniel,  and  be  happier  than  ever, 
for  now  you  know  what  it  is  to  be  entirely  without  a  home. 
Be  a  good  boy,  mind  your  uncle,  go  to  school,  and  one  of 
these  days  you'll  make  a  good  man.  Good-bye,  my  boy." 

The  teai*s  were  now  streaming  down  Toby's  face  very 
rapidly ;  he  had  not  known,  in  his  anxiety  to  get  home,  how 
very  much  he  cared  for  this  strangely  assorted  couple,  and 
now  it  made  him  feel  very  miserable  and  wretched  that  he 
was  going  to  leave  them.  He  tried  to  say  something  more, 
but  the  tears  choked  his  utterance,  and  he  left  the  tent 
quickly  to  prevent  himself  from  breaking  down  entirely. 

In  order  that  his  grief  might  not  be  noticed,  and  the 
cause  of  it  suspected,  Toby  went  out  behind  the  tent,  and, 
sitting  there  on  a  stone,  he  gave  way  to  the  tears  which  he 
could  no  longer  control. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  heeding  nothing  which 
passed  around  him,  he  was  startled  by  a  cheery  voice  which 
cried,  "Halloo!  down  in  the  dumps  again?  What  is  the 
matter  now,  my  bold  equestrian  T 

Looking  up,  he  saw  Ben  standing  before  him,  and  he 
wiped  his  eyes  hastily,  for  here  was  another  from  whom  he 
must  part,  and  to  whom  a  good-bye  must  be  spoken. 

Looking  around  to  make  sure  that  no  one  was  within 
hearing,  he  went  up  very  close  to  the  old  driver,  and  said, 
\n  almost  a  \vhisper,  "I  was  feelin'  bad  'cause  I  just  come 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  217 

from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treat,  an7  I've  been  sayin'  good-bye  to 
them.  I'm  goin'  to  run  away  to-night." 

Ben  looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  as  if  he  doubted 
whether  the  boy  knew  exactly  what  he  was  talking  about, 
and  then  said,  "  So  you  still  want  to  go  home,  do  you  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,  Ben,  so  much,"  was  the  reply,  in  a  tone  which 
expressed  how  dear  to  him  was  the  thought  of  being  in  his 
old  home  once  more. 

"  All  right,  my  boy ;  I  won't  say  one  word  agin  it,  though 
it  do  seem  too  bad,  after  you've  turned  out  to  be  such  a 
good  rider,"  said  the  old  man,  thoughtfully.  "  It's  better 
for  you,  I  know ;  for  a  circus  hain't  no  place  for  a  boy, 
even  if  he  wants  to  stay,  an'  I  can't  say  but  I'm  glad  you're 
still  determined  to  go." 

Toby  felt  relieved  at  the  tone  of  this  leave-taking.  He 
had  feared  that  Old  Ben,  who  thought  a  circus-rider  was  al- 
most on  the  topmost  round  of  Fortune's  ladder,  would  have 
urged  him  to  stay,  since  he  had  made  his  debut  in  the  ring, 
and  he  was  almost  afraid  that  he  might  take  some  steps  to 
prevent  his  going. 

"  I  wanted  to  say  good-bye  now,"  said  Toby,  in  a  choking 
voice,  "  'cause  perhaps  I  sha'n't  see  you  again." 

"  Good-bye,  my  boy,"  said  Ben  as  he  took  the  boy's  hand 
in  his.  "  Don't  forget  this  experience  you've  had  in  runnin' 
away ;  an'  if  ever  the  time  comes  that  you  feel  as  if  you 


2i8  Tody  Tyler;  or> 

wanted  to  know  that  you  had  a  friend,  think  of  Old  Ben, 
an5  remember  that  his  heart  beats  just  as  warm  for  you  as  if 
he  was  your  father.  Good-bye,  my  boy,  good-bye,  an'  may 
the  good  God  bless  you  !" 

"  Good-bye,  Ben,"  said  Toby ;  and  then,  as  the  old  driver 
turned  and  walked  away,  wiping  something  from  his  eye 
with  the  cuff  of  his  sleeve,  Toby  gave  full  vent  to  his  tears, 
and  wondered  why  it  was  that  he  was  such  a  miserable 
little  wretch. 

There  was  one  more  good-bye  to  be  said,  and  that  Toby 
dreaded  more  than  all  the  others.  It  was  to  Ella.  He 
knew  that  she  would  feel  badly  to  have  him  go,  because 
she  liked  to  ride  the  act  with  him  that  gave  them  such 
applause,  and  he  felt  certain  that  she  would  urge  him  to 
stay. 

Just  then  the  thought  of  another  of  his  friends — one  who 
had  not  yet  been  warned  of  what  very  important  matter 
was  to  occur — came  into  his  mind,  and  he  hastened  toward 
the  old  monkey's  cage.  His  pet  was  busily  engaged  in  play- 
ing with  some  of  the  younger  members  of  his  family,  and 
for  some  moments  could  not  be  induced  to  come  to  the  bars 
of  the  cage. 

At  last,  however,  Toby  did  succeed  in  coaxing  him  for- 
ward, and  then,  taking  him  by  the  paw,  and  drawing  him 
as  near  as  possible,  Toby  whispered,  "We're  goin'  to  run 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  219 

away  to  night,  Mr.  Stubbs,  an'  I  want  you  to  be  all  ready  to 
go  the  minute  I  come  for  you." 

The  old  monkey  winked  both  eyes  violently,  and  then 
showed  his  teeth  to  such  an  extent  that  Toby  thought  he 
was  laughing  at  the  prospect,  and  he  said,  a  little  severely, 
"  If  you  had  as  many  friends  as  I  have  got  in  this  circus 
y<>u  wouldn't  laugh  when  you  was  goin'  to  leave  them.  Of 
course  I've  got  to  go,  an'  I  want  to  go ;  but  it  makes  me 
feel  bad  to  leave  the  skeleton,  an'  the  fat  woman,  an'  Old 
Ben,  an'  little  Ella.  But  I  mustn't  stand  here.  You  be 
ready  when  I  come  for  you,  an'  by  morriin'  we'll  be  so  far 
off  that  Mr.  Lord  nor  Mr.  Castle  can't  catch  us." 

The  old  monkey  went  toward  his  companions,  as  if  he 
were  in  high  glee  at  the  trip  before  him,  and  Toby  went 
into  the  dressing  tent  to  prepare  for  the  evening's  perform- 
ance— which  was  about  to  commence. 

It  appeared  to  the  boy  as  if  every  one  was  unusually  kind 
to  him  that  night,  and,  feeling  sad  at  leaving  those  in  the 
circus  who  had  befriended  him,  Toby  was  unusually  atten- 
tive to  every  one  around  him.  He  ran  on  some  trifling 
errand  for  one,  helped  another  in  his  dressing,  and  in  a 
dozen  kind  ways  seemed  as  if  trying  to  atone  for  leaving 
them  secretly. 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  go  into  the  ring  and  he 
met  Ella,  bright  and  happy  at  the  thought  of  riding  with 


22O  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

him  and  repeating  her  triumphs  of  the  afternoon,  nothing 
save  the  thought  of  how  wicked  he  had  been  to  run  away 
from  good  old  Uncle  Daniel,  and  a  desire  to  right  that 
wrong  in  some  way,  prevented  him  from  giving  up  his  plan 
of  going  back. 

The  little  girl  observed  his  sadness,  and  she  whispered, 
"  Has  any  one  been  whipping  you,  Toby  ?" 

Toby  shook  his  head.  He  had  thought  that  he  would  tell 
her  what  he  was  about  to  do  just  before  they  went  into  the 
ring,  but  her  kind  words  seemed  to  make  that  impossible, 
and  he  had  said  nothing,  when  the  blare  of  the  trumpets,  the 
noisy  demonstrations  of  the  audience,  and  the  announce- 
ment of  the  clown  that  the  wonderful  children  riders  were 
now  about  to  appear,  ushered  them  into  the  ring. 

If  Toby  had  performed  well  in  the  afternoon,  he  accom- 
plished wonders  on  this  evening,  and  they  were  called  back 
into  the  ring,  not  once,  but  twice ;  and  when  finally  they 
were  allowed  to  retire,  every  one  behind  the  curtain  over- 
whelmed them  with  praise. 

Ella  was  so  profuse  with  her  kind  words,  her  admiration 
for  what  Toby  had  done,  and  so  delighted  at  the  idea  that 
they  were  to  ride  together,  that  even  then  the  boy  could  not 
tell  her  what  he  was  going  to  do,  but  went  into  his  dressing- 
room,  resolving  that  he  would  tell  her  all  when  they  both 
had  finished  dressing. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  221 

Toby  made  as  small  a  parcel  as  possible  of  the  costume 
which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Treat  had  given  him  —  for  he  deter- 
mined that  he  would  take  it  with  him — and,  putting  it  under 
his  coat,  went  out  to  wait  for  Ella.  As  she  did  not  come 
out  as  soon  as  he  expected  he  asked  some  one  to  tell  her 
that  he  wanted  to  see  her,  and  he  thought  to  himself  that 
when  she  did  come  she  would  be  in  a  hurry,  and  could  not 
stop  long  enough  to  make  any  very  lengthy  objections  to 
his  leaving. 

But  she  did  not  come  at  all — her  mother  sent  out  word 
that  Toby  could  not  see  her  until  after  the  performance  was 
over,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  now  nearly  time  for  her 
to  go  into  the  ring,  and  she  was  not  dressed  yet. 

Toby  was  terribly  disappointed.  He  knew  that  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  him  to  wait  until  the  close  of  the  perform- 
ance if  he  were  intending  to  run  away  that  night,  and  he 
felt  that  he  could  not  go  until  he  had  said  a  few  last  words 
to  her. 

He  was  in  a  great  perplexity,  until  the  thought  came  to 
him  that  he  could  write  a  good-bye  to  her,  and  by  this 
means  any  unpleasant  discussion  would  be  avoided. 

After  some  little  difficulty  he  procured  a  small  piece  of 
not  very  clean  paper  and  a  very  short  bit  of  lead -pencil, 
and  using  the  top  of  one  of  the  wagons,  as  he  sat  on  the 

seat,  for  a  desk,  he  indited  the  following  epistle : 
15 


222  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

"deaR  ella  I  Am  goin  to  Run  away  two  night,  &  i  want  two  say  good  by 
to  yu  &  your  mother,  i  am  Small  &  unkle  Danil  says  i  dont  mount  two 
much,  but  i  am  old  enuf  two  know  that  you  have  bin  good  two  me,  &  when  i 
Am  a  man  i  will  buy  you  a  whole  cirkus,  and  we  Will  ride  together,  dont 
forgit  me  &  I  wont  yu  in  haste  TOBY  TYLER/ 

Toby  had  no  envelope  in  which  to  seal  this  precious  letter, 
but  he  felt  that  it  would  not  be  seen  by  prying  eyes,  and 
would  safely  reach  its  destination,  if  he  intrusted  it  to  Old 
Ben. 

It  did  not  take  him  many  moments  to  find  the  old  driver, 
and  he  said,  as  he  handed  him  the  letter, "  I  didn't  see  Ella 
to  tell  her  I  was  goin',  so  I  wrote  this  letter,  an'  I  want  to 
know  if  you  will  give  it  to  her  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  will.  But  see  here,  Toby  " — and  Ben  caught 
him  by  the  sleeve  and  led  him  aside  where  he  would  not 
be  overheard — "  have  you  got  money  enough  to  take  you 
home  ?  for  if  you  haven't  I  can  let  you  have  some."  And 
Ben  plunged  his  hand  into  his  capacious  pocket,  as  if  he 
was  about  to  withdraw  from  there  the  entire  United  States 
Treasury. 

Toby  assured  him  that  he  had  sufficient  for  all  his  wants ; 
but  the  old  man  would  not  be  satisfied  until  he  had  seen 
for  himself,  and  then,  taking  Toby's  hand  again,  he  said, 
"  Now,  my  boy,  it  won't  do  for  you  to  stay  around  here  any 
longer.  Buy  something  to  eat  before  you  start,  an'  go  into  the 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  223 

woods  for  a  day  or  two  before  you  take  the  train  or  steam- 
boat. You're  too  big  a  prize  for  Job  or  Castle  to  let  you 
go  without  a  word,  an'  they'll  try  their  level  best  to  find 
you.  Be  careful,  now,  for  if  they  should  catch  you,  good- 
bye any  more  chances  to  get  away.  There  " — and  here  Ben 
suddenly  lifted  him  high  from  the  ground  and  kissed  him 
— "  now  get  away  as  fast  as  you  can." 

Toby  pressed  the  old  man's  hand  affectionately,  and  then, 
without  trusting  himself  to  speak,  walked  swiftly  out  toward 
the  entrance. 

He  resolved  to  take  Ben's  advice  and  go  into  the  woods 
for  a  short  time,  and  therefore  he  must  buy  some  provisions 
before  he  started. 

As  he  passed  the  monkeys'  cage  he  saw  his  pet  sitting 
near  the  bars,  and  he  stopped  long  enough  to  whisper,  "  I'll 
be  back  in  ten  minutes,  Mr.  Stubbs,  an'  you  be  all  ready 
then." 

Then  he  went  on,  and  just  as  he  got  near  the  entrance 
one  of  the  men  told  him  that  Mrs.  Treat  wished  to  see 
him. 

Toby  could  hardly  afford  to  spare  the  time  just  then,  but 
he  would  probably  have  obeyed  the  summons,  if  he  had 
known  that  by  so  doing  he  would  be  caught,  and  he  ran  as 
fast  as  his  little  legs  would  carry  him  toward  the  skeleton's 
tent 


224  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

The  exhibition  was  open,  and  both  the  skeleton  and  his 
wife  were  on  the  platform  when  Toby  entered  ;  but  he  crept 
around  at  the  back  and  up  behind  Mrs.  Treat's  chair,  tell- 
ing her  as  he  did  so  that  he  had  just  received  her  message, 
and  that  he  must  hurry  right  back,  for  every  moment  was 
important  then  to  him. 

"I  put  up  a  nice  lunch  for  you,"  she  said  as  she  kissed 
him,  "  and  you'll  find  it  on  the  top  of  the  biggest  trunk. 
Now  go;  and  if  my  wishes  are  of  any  good  to  you,  you 
will  get  to  your  uncle  Daniel's  house  without  any  trouble. 
Good-bye  again,  little  one." 

Toby  did  not  dare  to  trust  himself  any  longer  where 
every  one  was  so  kind  to  him.  He  slipped  down  from  the 
platform  as  quickly  as  possible,  found  the  bundle — and  a 
good-sized  one  it  was  too — without  any  difficulty,  and  went 
back  to  the  monkeys'  cage. 

As  orders  had  been  given  by  the  proprietor  of  the  circus 
that  the  boy  should  do  as  he  had  a  mind  to  with  the  mon- 
key, he  called  Mr.  Stubbs ;  and  as  he  was  in  the  custom  of 
taking  him  with  him  at  night,  no  one  thought  that  it  was 
anything  strange  that  he  should  take  him  from  the  cage 
now. 

Mr.  Lord  or  Mr.  Castle  might  possibly  have  thought  it 
queer  had  either  of  them  seen  the  two  bundles  which  Toby 
carried,  but,  fortunately  for  the  boy's  scheme,  they  both  be- 


THE   RUNAWAYS. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  227 

lieved  that  he  was  in  the  dressing -tent,  and  consequently 
thought  that  he  was  perfectly  safe. 

Toby's  hand  shook  so  that  he  could  hardly  undo  the  fast- 
ening of  the  cage,  and  when  he  attempted  to  call  the  mon- 
key to  him  his  voice  sounded  so  strange  and  husky  that  it 
startled  him. 

The  old  monkey  seemed  to  prefer  sleeping  with  Toby 
rather  than  with  those  of  his  kind  in  the  cage;  and  as  the 
boy  took  him  with  him  almost  every  night,  he  came  on  this 
particular  occasion  as  soon  as  Toby  called,  regardless  of  the 
strange  sound  of  his  master's  voice. 

With  his  bundles  under  his  arm,  and  the  monkey  on  his 
shoulder,  with  both  paws  tightly  clasped  around  his  neck, 
Toby  made  his  way  out  of  the  tent  with  beating  heart  and 
bated  breath. 

Neither  Mr.  Lord,  Castle,  nor  Jacobs  were  in  sight,  and 
everything  seemed  favorable  for  his  flight.  During  the  af- 
ternoon he  had  carefully  noted  the  direction  of  the  woods, 
and  he  started  swiftly  toward  them  now,  stopping  only  long 
enough,  as  he  was  well  clear  of  the  tents,  to  say,  in  a 
whisper, 

"  Good-bye,  Mr.  Treat,  an'  Mrs.  Treat,  an'  Ella,  an'  Ben. 
Some  time,  when  I'm  a  man,  I'll  come  back,  an'  bring  you 
lots  of  nice  things,  an'  I'll  never  forget  you — never.  When 
I  have  a  chance  to  be  good  to  some  little  boy  that  felt  as 


228  Toby  Tyler 

bad  as  I  did  I'll  do  it,  an'  tell  him  that  it  was  you  did  it. 
Good-bye." 

Then,  turning  around,  he  ran  toward  the  woods  as  swiftly 
as  if  his  escape  had  been  discovered  and  the  entire  com- 
pany were  in  pursuit. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  DAY   OF   FREEDOM. 

'OBY  ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed  over  the  rough 
road ;  and  the  monkey,  jolted  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  clutched  his  paws  more  tightly  around  the 
boy's  neck,  looking  around  into  his  face  as  if  to 
ask  what  was  the  meaning  of  this  very  singular  proceeding. 
When  he  was  so  very  nearly  breathless  as  to  be  able  to 
run  no  more,  but  was  forced  to  walk,  Toby  looked  behind 
him,  and  there  he  could  see  the  bright  lights  of  the  circus, 
and  hear  the  strains  of  the  music  as  he  had  heard  them  on 
the  night  when  he  was  getting  ready  to  run  away  from 
Uncle  Daniel ;  and  those  very  sounds,  which  reminded  him 
forcibly  of  how  ungrateful  he  had  been  to  the  old  man 
who  had  cared  for  him  when  there  was  no  one  else  in  the 
world  who  would  do  so,  made  it  more  easy  for  him  to  leave 
those  behind  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him  when  he  stood 
so  much  in  need  of  kindness. 

"  We  are  goin'  home,  Mr.  Stubbs !"  he  said,  exultantly,  to 
the  monkey — "  home  to  Uncle  Dan'l  an'  the  boys ;  an'  won't 


230  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

you  have  a  good  time  when  we  get  there !  You  can  run 
all  over  the  barn,  an'  up  in  the  trees,  an'  do  just  what  you 
want  to,  an'  there'll  be  plenty  of  fellows  to  play  with  you. 
You  don't  know  half  how  good  a  place  Guilford  is,  Mr. 
Stubbs." 

The  monkey  chattered  away  as  if  he  were  anticipating 
lots  of  fun  on  his  arrival  at  Toby's  home,  and  the  boy  chat- 
tered back,  his  spirits  rising  at  every  step  which  took  him 
farther  away  from  the  collection  of  tents  where  he  had 
spent  so  many  wretched  hours. 

A  brisk  walk  of  half  an  hour  sufficed  to  take  Toby  to 
the  woods,  and  after  some  little  search  he  found  a  thick 
clump  of  bushes  in  which  he  concluded  he  could  sleep 
without  the  risk  of  being  seen  by  any  one  who  might  pass 
that  way  before  he  should  be  awake  in  the  morning. 

He  had  "not  much  choice  in  the  way  of  a  bed,  for  it  was 
so  dark  in  the  woods  that  it  was  impossible  to  collect  moss 
or  leaves  to  make  a  soft  resting-place,  and  the  few  leaves 
and  pine -boughs  which  he  did  gather  made  his  place  for 
sleeping  but  very  little  softer. 

But  during  the  ten  weeks  that  Toby  had  been  with  the 
circus  his  bed  had  seldom  been  anything  softer  than  the 
seat  of  the  wagon,  and  it  troubled  him  very  little  that  he 
was  to  sleep  with  nothing  but  a  few  leaves  between  him- 
self and  th£  earth, 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  231 

Using  the  bundle  in  which  was  his  riding  costume  for  a 
pillow,  and  placing  the  lunch  Mrs.  Treat  had  given  him  near 
by,  where  the  monkey  could  not  get  at  it  conveniently,  he 
cuddled  Mr.  Stubbs  up  in  his  bosom  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 

"  Mr.  Lord  won't  wake  us  up  in  the  morn  in'  an'  swear  at 
us  for  not  washin'  the  tumblers,"  said  Toby,  in  a  tone  of 
satisfaction,  to  the  monkey ;  "  an'  we  won't  have  to  go  into 
the  tent  to-morrow  an'  sell  sick  lemonade  an'  poor  pea- 
nuts. But" — and  here  his  tone  changed  to  one  of  sorrow 
— "  there'll  be  some  there  that  '11  be  sorry  not  to  see  us  in 
the  mornin',  Mr.  Stubbs,  though  they'll  be  glad  to  know 
that  we  got  away  all  right.  But  won't  Mr.  Lord  swear,  an' 
won't  Mr.  Castle  crack  his  whip,  when  they  come  to  look 
round  for  us  in  the  mornin'  an'  find  that  we  hain't  there !" 

The  only  reply  which  the  monkey  made  to  this  was  to 
nestle  his  head  closer  under  Toby's  coat,  and  to  show,  in 
the  most  decided  manner,  that  he  was  ready  to  go  to  sleep. 

And  Toby  was  quite  as  ready  to  go  to  sleep  as  he  was. 
He  had  worked  hard  that  day,  but  the  excitement  of  es- 
caping had  prevented  him  from  realizing  his  fatigue  until 
after  he  had  lain  down ;  and  almost  before  he  had  got 
through  congratulating  himself  upon  the  ease  with  which 
he  had  gotten  free,  both  he  and  the  monkey  were  as  sound 
asleep  as  if  they  had  been  tucked  up  in  the  softest  bed 
that  was  ever  made. 


232  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Toby's  very  weariness  was  a  friend  to  him  that  night, 
for  it  prevented  him  from  waking ;  which,  if  he  had  done 
so,  might  have  been  unpleasant  when  he  fully  realized  that 
he  was  all  alone  in  the  forest,  and  the  sounds  that  are  al- 
ways heard  in  the  woods  might  have  frightened  him  just 
the  least  bit. 

The  sun  was  shining  directly  in  his  face  when  Toby 
awoke  on  the  following  morning,  and  the  old  monkey  was 
still  snugly  nestled  under  his  coat.  He  sat  up  rather  dazed 
at  first,  and  then,  as  he  fully  realized  that  he  was  actually 
free  from  all  that  had  made  his  life  such  a  sad  and  hard 
one  for  so  many  weeks,  he  shouted  aloud,  revelling  in  his 
freedom. 

The  monkey,  awakened  by  Toby's  cries,  started  from  his 
sleep  in  affright  and  jumped  into  the  nearest  tree,  only  to 
chatter,  jump,  and  swing  from  the  boughs  when  he  saw 
that  there  was  nothing  very  unusual  going  on,  save  that  he 
and  Toby  were  out  in  the  woods  again,  where  they  could 
have  no  end  of  a  good  time  and  do  just  as  they  liked. 

After  a  few  moments  spent  in  a  short  jubilee  at  their 
escape  Toby  took  the  monkey  on  his  shoulder  and  the 
bundles  under  his  arm  again,  and  went  cautiously  out  to 
the  edge  of  the  thicket,  where  he  could  form  some  idea  as 
to  whether  or  no  they  were  pursued. 

He  had  entered  the  woods  at  the  brow  of  a  small  hill 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  233 

when  he  had  fled  so  hastily  on  the  previous  evening,  and 
looking  down,  he  could  see  the  spot  whereon  the  tents  of 
;he  circus  had  been  pitched,  but  not  a  sign  of  them  was 
aow  visible.  He  could  see  a  number  of  people  walking 
around,  and  he  fancied  that  they  looked  up  every  now  and 
then  to  where  he  stood  concealed  by  the  foliage. 

This  gave  him  no  little  uneasiness,  for  he  feared  that 
Mr.  Lord  or  Mr.  Castle  might  be  among  the  number,  and 
he  believed  that  they  would  begin  a  search  for  him  at  once, 
and  that  the  spot  where  their  attention  would  first  be  drawn 
was  exactly  where  he  was  then  standing. 

"  This  won't  do,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  he  said,  as  he  pushed  the 
monkey  higher  up  on  his  shoulder  and  started  into  the 
thickest  part  of  the  woods ;  "  we  must  get  out  of  this  place, 
an'  go  farther  down,  where  we  can  hide  till  to-morrow 
mornin'.  Besides,  we  must  find  some  water  where  we  can 
wash  our  faces." 

The  old  monkey  would  hardly  have  been  troubled  if 
they  had  not  their  faces  washed  for  the  next  month  to 
come;  but  he  grinned  and  talked  as  Toby  trudged  along, 
attempting  to  catch  hold  of  the  leaves  as  they  were  passed, 
and  in  various  other  ways  impeding  his  master's  progress, 
until  Toby  was  obliged  to  give  him  a  most  severe  scolding 
in  order  to  make  him  behave  himself  in  anything  like  a 
decent  manner. 


234  Toby  Tyler;  or> 

At  last,  after  fully  half  an  hour's  rapK.  walking,  Toby 
found  just  the  place  he  wanted  in  which  to  pass  the  time 
he  concluded  it  would  be  necessary  to  spend  before  he  dare 
venture  out  to  start  for  home. 

It  was  a  little  valley  entirely  filled  by  trees,  which  grew 
so  thickly,  save  in  one  little  spot,  as  to  make  it  almost  im- 
possible to  walk  through.  The  one  clear  spot  was  not  more 
than  ten  feet  square,  but  it  was  just  at  the  edge  of  a  swift- 
ly running  brook ;  and  a  more  beautiful  or  convenient  place 
for  a  boy  and  a  monkey  to  stop  who  had  no  tent,  nor  means 
to  build  one,  could  not  well  be  imagined. 

Toby's  first  act  was  to  wash  his  face,  and  he  tried  to 
make  the  monkey  do  the  same ;  but  Mr.  Stubbs  had  no  idea 
of  doing  any  such  foolish  thing.  He  would  come  down 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  water  and  look  in ;  but  the  moment 
that  Toby  tried  to  make  him  go  in  he  would  rush  back 
among  the  trees,  climb  out  on  some  slender  bough,  and  then 
swing  himself  down  by  the  tail,  and  chatter  away  as  if  mak- 
ing sport  of  his  young  master  for  thinking  that  he  would 
be  so  foolish  as  to  soil  his  face  with  water. 

After  Toby  had  made  his  toilet  he  unfastened  the  bun- 
dle which  the  fat  lady  had  given  him,  for  the  purpose  of 
having  breakfast.  As  much  of  an  eater  as  Toby  was,  he 
could  not  but  be  surprised  at  the  quantity  of  food  which 
Mrs.  Treat  called  a  lunch.  There  were  two  whole  pies  and 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  235 

half  of  another,  as  many  as  two  dozen  doughnuts,  several 
large  pieces  of  cheese,  six  sandwiches,  with  a  plentiful 
amount  of  meat,  half  a  dozen  biscuits,  nicely  buttered,  and 
a  large  piece  of  cake. 

The  monkey  had  come  down  from  the  tree  as  soon  as  he 
saw  Toby  untying  the  bundle,  and  there  was  quite  as  much 
pleasure  depicted  on  his  face,  when  he  saw  the  good  things 
that  were  spread  out  before  him,  as  there  was  on  Toby's ; 
and  he  showed  his  thankfulness  at  Mrs.  Treat's  foresight  by 
suddenly  snatching  one  of  the  doughnuts  and  running  with 
it  up  the  tree,  where  he  knew  Toby  could  not  follow. 

"  Now  look  here,  Mr.  Stubbs !"  said  Toby,  sternly,  "  you 
can  have  all  you  want  to  eat,  but  you  must  take  it  in  a  de- 
cent way,  an'  not  go  to  cuttin'  up  any  such  shines  as  that." 

And  after  giving  this  command — which,  by-the-way,  was 
obeyed  just  about  as  well  as  it  was  understood — Toby  de- 
voted his  time  to  his  breakfast,  and  he  reduced  the  amount 
of  eatables  very  considerably  before  he  had  finished. 

Toby  cleared  off  his  table  by  gathering  the  food  together 
and  putting  it  back  into  the  paper  as  well  as  possible,  and 
then  he  sat  down  to  think  over  the  situation,  and  to  decide 
what  he  had  better  do. 

He  felt  rather  nervous  about  venturing  out  when  it  was 
possible  for  Mr.  Lord  or  Mr.  Castle  to  get  hold  of  him 
again ;  and  as  the  weather  was  yet  warm  during  the  night, 


2  $6  Tody  7yier  ;  or, 

his  camping-place  everything  that  could  be  desired,  and  the 
stock  of  food  likely  to  hold  out,  he  concluded  that  he  had 
better  remain  there  for  two  days  at  least,  and  then  he  would 
be  reasonably  sure  that  if  either  of  the  men  whom  he  so 
dreaded  to  see  had  remained  behind  for  the  purpose  of 
catching  him,  he  would  have  got  tired  out  and  gone  on. 

This  point  decided  upon,  the  next  was  to  try  to  fix  up 
something  soft  for  a  bed.  He  had  his  pocket-knife  with 
him,  and  in  his  little  valley  were  pine  and  hemlock  trees  in 
abundance.  From  the  tips  of  their  branches  he  knew  that 
he  could  make  a  bed  as  soft  and  fragrant  as  any  that  could 
be  thought  of,  and  he  set  to  work  at  once,  while  Mr.  Stubbs 
continued  his  antics  above  his  head. 

After  about  two  hours'  steady  work  he  had  cut  enough  of 
the  tender  branches  to  make  himself  a  bed  into  which  he 
and  the  monkey  could  burrow  and  sleep  as  comfortably  as 
if  they  were  in  the  softest  bed  in  Uncle  Daniel's  house. 

When  Toby  first  began  to  cut  the  boughs  he  had  an  idea 
that  he  might  possibly  make  some  sort  of  a  hut;  but  the 
two  hours'  work  had  blistered  his  hands,  and  he  was  per- 
fectly ready  to  sit  down  and  rest,  without  the  slightest  de- 
sire for  any  other  kind  of  a  hut  than  that  formed  by  the 
trees  themselves. 

Toby  imagined  that  in  that  beautiful  place  he  could, 
with  the  monkey,  stay  contented  for  any  number  of  days ; 


Ten  Weeks  witk  a  Circus.  237 

but  after  he  had  rested  a  time,  played  with  his  pet  a  littler 
and  eaten  j  ust  a  trifle  more  of  the  lunch,  the  time  passed  so 
slowly  that  he  soon  made  up  his  mind  to  run  the  risk  of 
meeting  Mr.  Lord  or  Mr.  Castle  again  by  going  out  of  the 
woods  the  first  thing  the  next  morning. 

Very  many  times  before  the  sun  set  that  day  was  Toby 
tempted  to  run  the  risk  that  night,  for  the  sake  of  the 
change,  if  no  more ;  but  as  he  thought  the  matter  over  he 
saw  how  dangerous  such  a  course  would  be,  and  he  forced 
himself  to  wait. 

That  night  he  did  not  sleep  as  soundly  as  on  the  previous 
one,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  he  was  not  as  tired.  He 
awoke  several  times;  and  the  noise  of  the  night-birds 
alarmed  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  obliged  to 
awaken  the  old  monkey  for  company. 

But  the  night  passed  despite  his  fears,  as  all  nights  will, 
whether  a  boy  is  out  in  the  woods  alone  or  tucked  up  in  his 
own  little  bed  at  home.  In  the  morning  Toby  made  all 
possible  haste  to  get  away,  for  each  moment  that  he  stayed 
now  made  him  more  impatient  to  be  moving  toward  home. 

He  washed  himself  as  quickly  as  possible,  ate  his  break- 
fast with  the  most  unseemly  haste,  and,  taking  up  his  bun- 
dles and  the  monkey,  once  more  started,  as  he  supposed,  in 
the  direction  from  which  he  had  entered  the  woods. 

Toby  walked  briskly  along,  in  the  best  possible  spirits, 

16 


238  Toby  Tyler 

for  his  running  away  was  now  an  accomplished  fact,  and 
he  was  going  toward  Uncle  Daniel  and  home  just  as  fast 
as  possible.  He  sung  "  Old  Hundred  "  through  five  or  six 
times  by  way  of  showing  his  happiness.  It  is  quite  likely 
that  he  would  have  sung  something  a  little  more  lively  had 
he  known  anything  else ;  but  "  Old  Hundred  "  was  the  ex- 
tent of  his  musical  education,  and  he  kept  repeating  that, 
which  was  quite  as  satisfactory  as  if  he  had  been  able  to 
go  through  with  every  opera  that  was  ever  written. 

The  monkey  would  jump  from  his  shoulder  into  the 
branches  above,  run  along  on  the  trees  for  a  short  distance, 
and  then  wait  until  Toby  came  along,  when  he  would  drop 
down  on  his  shoulder  suddenly,  and  in  every  other  way  of 
displaying  monkey  delight  he  showed  that  he  was  just  as 
happy  as  it  was  possible. 

Toby  trudged  on  in  this  contented  way  for  nearly  an 
hour,  and  every  moment  expected  to  step  out  to  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  where  he  could  see  houses  and  men  once 
more.  But  instead  of  doing  so  the  forest  seemed  to  grow 
more  dense,  and  nothing  betokened  his  approach  to  the 
village.  There  was  a  great  fear  came  into  Toby's  heart 
Just  then,  and  for  a  moment  he  halted  in  helpless  perplex- 
ity. His  lips  began  to  quiver,  his  face  grew  white,  and  his 
hand  trembled  so  that  the  old  monkey  took  hold  of  one  of 
his  fingers  and  looked  at  it  wonderingly. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

MR.  STUBBS'S  MISCHIEF,  AND  HIS  SAD  FATE. 

0 

"OBY  had  begun  to  realize  that  he  was  lost  in 
the  woods,  and  the  thought  was  sufficient  to  cause 
alarm  in  the  mind  of  one  much  older  than  the 
boy.  He  said  to  himself  that  he  would  keep  on  in 
the  direction  he  was  then  travelling  for  fifteen  minutes; 
and  as  he  had  no  means  of  computing  the  time  he  sat  down 
on  a  log,  took  out  the  bit  of  pencil  with  which  he  had 
written  the  letter  to  Ella,  and  multiplied  sixty  by  fifteen. 
He  knew  that  there  were  sixty  seconds  to  the  minute,  and 
that  he  could  ordinarily  count  one  to  each  second;  there- 
fore, when  he  learned  that  there  were  nine  hundred  sec- 
onds in  fifteen  minutes,  he  resolved  to  walk  as  nearly 
straight  ahead  as  possible  until  he  should  have  counted 
that  number. 

He  walked  on,  counting  as  regularly  as  he  could,  and 
thought  to  himself  that  he  never  before  realized  how  long 
fifteen  minutes  were.  It  really  seemed  to  him  that  an 
hour  had  passed  before  he  finished  counting,  and  then 


240  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

when  he  stopped  there  were  no  more  signs  that  he  was 
near  a  clearing  than  there  had  been  before  he  started. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Stubbs,  we're  lost!  we're  lost !"  he  cried,  as  he 
laid  his  cheek  on  the  monkey's  head  and  gave  way  to  the 
lonesome  grief  that  came  over  him.  "What  shall  we  do? 
Perhaps  we  won't  ever  find  our  way  out,  but  will  die  here, 
an'  then  Uncle  Dan'l  won't  ever  know  how  sorry  I  was 
that  I  run  away." 

Then  Toby  lay  right  down  on  the  ground  and  cried  so 
hard  that  the  monkey  acted  as  if  it  were  frightened,  and 
tried  to  turn  the  boy's  face  over,  and  finally  leaned  down 
and  licked  Toby's  ear. 

This  little  act,  which  seemed  so  much  like  a  kiss,  caused 
Toby  to  feel  no  small  amount  of  comfort,  and  he  sat  up 
again,  took  the  monkey  in  his  arms,  and  began  seriously  to 
discuss  some  definite  plan  of  action. 

"It  won't  do  to  keep  on  the  way  we've  been  goin',  Mr. 
Stubbs,"  said  Toby,  as  he  looked  full  in  his  pet's  face — and 
the  old  monkey  sat  as  still  and  looked  as  grave  as  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  look  and  sit — "for  we  must  be  goin' 
into  the  woods  deeper.  Let's  start  off  this  way  " — and  Toby 
pointed  at  right  angles  with  the  course  they  had  been  pur- 
suing— "an'  keep  right  on  that  way  till  we  come  to  some- 
thing, or  till  we  drop  right  down  an'  die." 

It  is  fair  to   presume  that  the   old   monkey  agreed  to 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  241 

Toby's  plan ;  for  although  he  said  nothing  in  favor  of  it  he 
certainly  made  no  objections  to  it,  which  to  Toby  was  the 
same  as  if  his  companion  had  assented  to  it  in  the  plainest 
English. 

Both  the  bundles  and  the  monkey  were  rather  a  heavy 
load  for  a  small  boy  like  Toby  to  carry ;  but  he  clung  man- 
fully to  them,  walked  resolutely  on,  without  looking  to  the 
right  or  to  the  left,  glad  when  the  old  monkey  would  take 
a  run  among  the  trees,  for  then  he  would  be  relieved  of  his 
weight,  and  glad  when  he  returned,  for  then  he  had  his 
company,  and  that  repaid  him  for  any  labor  which  he  might 
have  to  perform. 

Toby  was  in  a  hard  plight  as  it  was ;  but  without  the  old 
monkey  for  a  companion  he  would  have  thought  his  con- 
dition was  a  hundred  times  worse,  and  would  hardly  have 
had  the  courage  to  go  on  as  he  was  going. 

On  and  on  he  walked,  until  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
could  really  go  no  farther,  and  yet  he  could  see  no  signs 
which  indicated  the  end  of  the  woods,  and  at  last  he  sunk 
upon  the  ground,  too  tired  to  walk  another  step,  saying  to 
the  monkey — who  was  looking  as  if  he  would  like  to  know 
the  reason  of  this  pause — "  It's  no  use,  Mr.  Stubbs,  I've  got 
to  sit  down  here  an'  rest  awhile,  anyhow ;  besides,  I'm  aw- 
fully hungry." 

Then  Toby  commenced  to  eat  his  dinner,  and  to  give  the 


242  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

monkey  his,  until  the  thought  came  to  him  that  he  neither 
had  any  water  nor  did  he  know  where  to  find  it,  and  then, 
of  course,  he  immediately  became  so  thirsty  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  eat  any  more. 

"  We  can't  stand  this,"  moaned  Toby  to  the  monkey ; 
"  we've  got  to  have  something  to  drink,  or  else  we  can't  eat 
all  these  sweet  things,  an'  I'm  so  tired  that  I  can't  go  any 
farther.  Don't  let's  eat  dinner  now,  but  let's  stay  here  an' 
rest,  an'  then  we  can  keep  on  an'  look  for  water." 

Toby's  resting  spell  was  a  long  one,  for  as  soon  as  he 
stretched  himself  out  on  the  ground  he  was  asleep  from 
actual  exhaustion,  and  did  not  awaken  until  the  sun  was 
just  setting,  and  then  he  saw  that,  hard  as  his  troubles  had 
been  before,  they  were  about  to  become,  or  in  fact  had  be- 
come, worse. 

He  had  paid  no  attention  to  his  bundles  when  he  lay 
down,  and  when  he  awoke  he  was  puzzled  to  make  out 
what  it  was  that  was  strewn  around  the  ground  so  thickly. 

He  had  looked  at  it  but  a  very  short  time  when  he  saw 
that  it  was  what  had  been  the  lunch  he  had  carried  so  far. 
After  having  had  the  sad  experience  of  losing  his  money 
he  understood  very  readily  that  the  old  monkey  had  taken 
the  lunch  while  he  slept,  and  had  amused  himself  by  picking 
it  apart  into  the  smallest  particles  possible,  and  then  strewn 
tLem  around  on  the  ground  where  he  now  saw  them. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  243 

Toby  looked  at  them  in  almost  speechless  surprise,  and 
then  he  turned  to  where  the  old  monkey  lay,  apparently 
asleep ;  but  as  the  boy  watched  him  intently,  he  could  see 
that  the  cunning  animal  was  really  watching  him  out  of 
one  half -closed  eye. 

"Now  you  have  killed  us,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  wailed  Toby. 
"We  never  can  find  our  way  out  of  here;  an'  now  we 
hain't  got  anything  to  eat,  and  by  to-morrow  we  shall  be 
starved  to  death.  Oh  dear!  wasn't  you  bad  enough  when 
you  threw  all  the  money  away,  so  you  had  to  go  an'  do 
this  just  when  we  was  in  awful  trouble  ?" 

Mr.  Stubbs  now  looked  up  as  if  he  had  just  been  awak- 
ened by  Toby's  grief,  looked  around  him  leisurely  as  if  to 
see  what  could  be  the  matter,  and  then,  apparently  seeing 
for  the  first  time  the  crumbs  that  were  lying  around  on  the 
ground,  took  up  some  and  examined  them  intently. 

"Now  don't  go  to  makin'  believe  that  you  don't  know 
how  they  come  there,"  said  Toby,  showing  anger  toward 
his  pet  for  the  first  time.  "  You  know  it  was  you  who  did 
it,  for  there  wasn't  any  one  else  here,  an'  you  can't  fool  me 
by  lookin'  so  surprised." 

It  seemed  as  if  the  monkey  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  his  little  plan  of  ignorance  wasn't  the  most  perfect  suc- 
cess, for  he  walked  meekly  toward  his  young  master,  climb- 
ed up  on  his  shoulder,  and  sat  there  kissing  his  ear,  or  look- 


244  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

ing  down  into  his  eyes,  vmtil  the  boy  could  resist  the  mute 
appeal  no  longer,  but  took  him  into  his  arms  and  hugged 
him  closely  as  he  said, 

"  It  can't  be  helped  now,  I  s'pose,  an'  we  shall  have  to 
get  along  the  best  way  we  can ;  but  it  was  awful  wicked 
of  you,  Mr.  Stubbs,  an'  I  don't  know  what  we're  going  to 
do  for  something  to  eat." 

While  the  destructive  fit  was  on  him  the  old  monkey 
had  not  spared  the  smallest  bit  of  food,  but  had  picked 
everything  into  such  minute  shreds  that  none  of  it  could  be 
gathered  up,  and  everything  was  surely  wasted. 

While  Toby  sat  bemoaning  his  fate,  and  trying  to  make 
out  what  was  to  be  done  for  food,  the  darkness,  which  had 
just  begun  to  gather  when  he  first  awoke,  now  commenced 
to  settle  around,  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  for  some  con- 
venient place  in  which  to  spend  the  night  before  it  be- 
came so  dark  as  to  make  the  search  impossible. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  slept  nearly  the  entire 
afternoon,  and  also  rendered  wakeful  by  the  loss  he  had 
just  sustained,  Toby  lay  awake  on  the  hard  ground,  with 
the  monkey  on  his  arm,  hour  after  hour,  until  all  kinds  of 
fancies  came  to  him,  and  in  every  sound  feared  he  heard 
some  one  from  the  circus  coming  to  capture  him,  or  some 
wild  beast  intent  on  picking  his  bones. 

The  cold  sweat  of  fear  stood  out  on  his  brow,  and  ho 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  245 

hardly  dared  to  breathe,  much  more  to  speak,  lest  the  sound 
of  his  voice  should  betray  his  whereabouts,  and  thus  bring 
his  enemies  down  upon  him.  The  minutes  seemed  like 
hours,  and  the  hours  like  days,  as  he  lay  there,  listening 
fearfully  to  every  one  of  the  night-sounds  of  the  forest ;  and 
it  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  been  there  very  many  hours 
when  at  last  he  fell  asleep,  and  was  thus  freed  from  his  fears. 

Bright  and  early  on  the  following  morning  Toby  was 
awake,  and  as  he  came  to  a  realizing  sense  of  all  the  dan- 
gers and  trouble  that  surrounded  him  he  was  disposed  to 
give  way  again  to  his  sorrow ;  but  he  said  resolutely  to  him- 
self, "  It  might  be  a  good  deal  worse  than  it  is,  an'  Mr. 
Stubbs  an'  I  can  get  along  one  day  without  anything  to  eat ; 
an'  perhaps  by  night  we  shall  be  out  of  the  woods,  an'  then 
what  we  get  will  taste  good  to  us." 

He  began  his  walk — which  possibly  might  not  end  that 
day — manfully,  and  his  courage  was  rewarded  by  soon  reach- 
ing a  number  of  bushes  that  were  literally  loaded  down  with 
blackberries.  From  these  he  made  a  hearty  meal,  and  the 
old  monkey  fairly  revelled  in  them,  for  he  ate  all  he  possibly 
could,  and  then  stowed  away  enough  in  his  cheeks  to  make 
a  good-sized  luncheon  when  he  should  be  hungry  again. 

Refreshed  very  much  by  his  breakfast  of  fruit,  Toby 
again  started  on  his  journey  with  renewed  vigor,  and  the 
world  began  to  look  very  bright  to  him.  He  had  not 


246  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

thought  that  ne  might  find  berries  when  the  thoughts  of 
starvation  came  into  his  mind,  and  now  that  his  hunger 
was  satisfied  he  began  to  believe  that  he  might  possibly  be 
able  to  live,  perhaps  for  weeks,  in  the  woods  solely  upon 
what  he  might  find  growing  there. 

Shortly  after  he  had  had  breakfast  he  came  upon  a 
brook,  which  he  thought  was  the  same  upon  whose  banks 
he  had  encamped  the  first  night  he  spent  in  the  woods, 
and,  pulling  off  his  clothes,  he  waded  into  the  deepest  part, 
and  had  a  most  refreshing  bath,  although  the  water  was 
rather  cold. 

Not  having  any  towels  with  which  to  dry  himself,  he 
was  obliged  to  sit  in  the  sun  until  the  moisture  had  been 
dried  from  his  skin  and  he  could  put  his  clothes  on  once 
more.  Then  he  started  out  on  his  walk  again,  feeling 
that  sooner  or  later  he  would  come  out  all  right. 

All  this  time  he  had  been  travelling  without  any  guide 
to  tell  him  whether  he  was  going  straight  ahead  or  around 
in  a  circle,  and  he  now  concluded  to  follow  the  course  of 
the  brook,  believing  that  that  would  lead  him  out  of  the 
forest  some  time. 

During  the  forenoon  he  walked  steadily,  but  not  so  fast 
that  he  would  get  exhausted  quickly,  and  when  by  the 
position  of  the  sun  he  judged  that  it  was  noon  he  lay  down 
on  a  mossy  bank  to  rest. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  247 

He  was  beginning  to  feel  sad  again.  He  had  found 
no  more  berries,  and  the  elation  which  had  been  caused 
by  his  breakfast  and  his  bath  was  quickly  passing  away. 
The  old  monkey  was  in  a  tree  almost  directly  above  his 
head,  stretched  out  on  one  of  the  limbs  in  the  most  con- 
tented manner  possible;  and  as  Toby  watched  him,  and 
thought  of  all  the  trouble  he  had  caused  by  wasting  the 
food,  thoughts  of  starvation  again  came  into  his  mind,  and 
he  believed  that  he  should  not  live  to  see  Uncle  Daniel 
again. 

Just  when  he  was  feeling  the  most  sad  and  lonely,  and 
when  thoughts  of  death  from  starvation  were  most  vivid 
in  his  mind,  he  heard  the  barking  of  a  dog,  which  sounded 
close  at  hand. 

His  first  thought  was  that  at  last  he  was  saved,  and  he 
was  just  starting  to  his  feet  to  shout  for  help,  when  he 
heard  the  sharp  report  of  a  gun  and  an  agonizing  cry 
from  the  branches  above,  and  the  old  monkey  fell  to  the 
ground  with  a  thud  that  told  he  had  received  his  death- 
wound. 

All  this  had  taken  place  so  quickly  that  Toby  did  not 
at  first  comprehend  the  extent  of  the  misfortune  which 
had  overtaken  him ;  but  a  groan  from  the  poor  monkey, 
as  he  placed  one  little  brown  paw  to  his  breast,  from 
which  the  blood  was  flowing  freely,  and  looked  up  into 


248  Toby  Tyler ;  or^ 

his  master's  face  with  a  most  piteous  expression,  showed 
the  poor  little  boy  what  a  great  trouble  it  was  which  had 
now  come. 

Poor  Toby  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  agony,  which  could  not 
have  been  more  full  of  anguish  had  he  received  the  ball 
in  his  own  breast,  and,  flinging  himself  by  the  side  of  the 
dying  monkey,  he  gathered  him  close  to  his  breast,  regard- 
less of  the  blood  that  poured  over  him,  and  stroking  ten- 
derly the  little  head  that  had  nestled  so  often  in  his  bosom, 
said,  over  and  over  again,  as  the  monkey  uttered  short 
moans  of  agony,  "  Who  could  have  been  so  cruel  ?  —  who 
could  have  been  so  cruel  ?" 

Toby's  tears  ran  like  rain  down  his  face,  and  he  kissed 
his  dying  pet  again  and  again,  as  if  he  would  take  all  the 
pain  to  himself. 

"  Oh,  if  you  could  only  speak  to  me !"  he  cried,  as  he 
took  one  of  the  poor  monkey's  paws  in  his  hand,  and, 
finding  that  it  was  growing  cold  with  the  chill  of  death, 
put  it  on  his  neck  to  warm  it.  "How  I  love  you,  Mr. 
Stubbs !  An'  now  you're  goin'  to  die  an'  leave  me !  Oh, 
if  I  hadn't  spoken  cross  to  you  yesterday,  an'  if  I  hadn't 
ft'most  choked  you  the  day  that  we  went  to  the  skeleton's 
to  dinner !  Forgive  me  for  ever  bein'  bad  to  you,  won't 
you, Mr.  Stubbs?" 

As  the  monkey's  groans  increased  in  number  but  dimin- 


;HOW  I   LOVE    YOU,   MK.  STUBBS!" 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  251 

ished  in  force  Toby  ran  to  the  brook,  filled  his  hands  with 
water,  and  held  it  to  the  poor  animal's  mouth. 

He  lapped  the  water  quickly,  and  looked  up  with  a  hu 
man  look  of  gratitude  in  his  eyes,  as  if  thanking  his  master 
for  that  much  relief.  Then  Toby  tried  to  wash  the  blood 
from  his  breast;  but  it  flowed  quite  as  fast  as  he  could 
wash  it  away,  and  he  ceased  his  efforts  in  that  direction, 
and  paid  every  attention  to  making  his  friend  and  pet 
more  comfortable.  He  took  off  his  jacket  and  laid  it  on 
the  ground  for  the  monkey  to  lie  upon ;  picked  a  quantity 
of  large  green  leaves  as  a  cooling  rest  for  his  head,  and 
then  sat  by  his  side,  holding  his  paws,  and  talking  to  him 
with  the  most  tender  words  his  lips — quivering  with  sorrow 
as  they  were — could  fashion. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HOME  AND   UNCLE  DANIBL. 

EANWHILE  the  author  of  all  this  misery  had 
come  upon  the  scene.  He  was  a  young  man, 
whose  rifle  and  well-iilled  game-bag  showed  that 
he  had  been  hunting,  and  his  face  expressed  the 
liveliest  sorrow  for  what  he  had  so  unwittingly  done. 

"  I  didn't  know  1  was  firing  at  your  pet,"  he  said  to  Toby 
as  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  endeavored  to  make 
him  look  up.  "  I  only  saw  a  little  patch  of  fur  through  the 
trees,  and,  thinking  it  was  some  wild  animal,  I  fired.  For- 
give me,  won't  you,  and  let  me  put  the  poor  brute  out  of 
his  misery  ?" 

Toby  looked  up  fiercely  at  the  murderer  of  his  pet  and 
asked,  savagely,  "  Why  don't  you  go  away  ?  Don't  you  see 
that  you  have  killed  Mr.  Stubbs,  an'  you'll  be  hung  for 
murder?" 

"  I  wouldn't  have  done  it  under  any  circumstances,"  said 
the  young  man,  pitying  Toby's  grief  most  sincerely.  "  Come 
away,  and  let  me  put  the  poor  thing  out  of  its  agony." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  253 

"  How  can  you  do  it  ?"  asked  Toby,  bitterly.  "  He's  dying 
already." 

"  I  know  it,  and  it  will  be  a  kindness  to  put  a  bullet 
through  his  head." 

If  Toby  had  been  big  enough  perhaps  there  might 
really  have  been  a  murder  committed,  for  he  looked 
up  at  the  man  who  so  coolly  proposed  to  kill  the  poor 
monkey  after  he  had  already  received  his  death -wound 
that  the  young  man  stepped  back  quickly,  as  if  really 
afraid  that  in  his  desperation  the  boy  might  do  him  some 
injury. 

"Go  'way  off,"  said  Toby,  passionately,  "an5  don't  ever 
come  here  again.  You've  killed  all  I  ever  had  in  this  world 
of  my  own  to  love  me,  an'  I  hate  you — I  hate  you !" 

Then,  turning  again  to  the  monkey,  he  put  his  hands  on 
each  side  of  his  head,  and,  leaning  down,  kissed  the  little 
brown  lips  as  tenderly  as  a  mother  would  kiss  her  child. 

The  monkey  was  growing  more  and  more  feeble,  and 
when  Toby  had  shown  this  act  of  affection  he  reached  up 
his  tiny  paws,  grasped  Toby's  finger,  half -raised  himself 
from  the  ground,  and  then  with  a  convulsive  struggle  fell 
back  dead,  while  the  tiny  fingers  slowly  relaxed  their  hold 
of  the  boy's  hand. 

Toby  feared  that  it  was  death,  and  yet  hoped  that  he 
was  mistaken;  he  looked  into  the  half -open,  fast -glazing 


254  Toby  Tyler ;  or> 

eyes,  put  his  hand  over  his  heart,  to  learn  if  it  were  stk 
beating;  and  getting  no  responsive  look  from  the  dead  eyes, 
feeling  no  heart-throbs  from  under  that  gory  breast,  he 
knew  that  his  pet  was  really  dead,  and  flung  himself  by 
his  side  in  all  the  childish  abandonment  of  grief. 

He  called  the  monkey  by  name,  implored  him  to  look  at 
him,  and  finally  bewailed  that  he  had  ever  left  the  circus, 
where  at  least  his  pet's  life  was  safe,  even  if  his  own  back 
received  its  daily  flogging. 

The  young  man,  who  stood  a  silent  spectator  of  this  pain- 
ful scene,  understood  everything  from  Toby's  mourning. 
He  knew  that  a  boy  had  run  away  from  the  circus,  for 
Messrs.  Lord  and  Castle  had  stayed  behind  one  day,  in  the 
hope  of  capturing  the  fugitive,  and  they  had  told  their  own 
version  of  Toby's  flight. 

For  nearly  an  hour  Toby  lay  by  the  dead  monkey's  side, 
crying  as  if  his  heart  would  break,  and  the  young  man 
waited  until  his  grief  should  have  somewhat  exhausted  it- 
self, and  then  approached  the  boy  again. 

"  Won't  you  believe  that  I  didn't  mean  to  do  this  cruel 
thing?"  he  asked,  in  a  kindly  voice.  "And  won't  you  be- 
lieve that  I  would  do  anything  in  my  power  to  bring  your 
pet  back  to  life?" 

Toby  looked  at  him  a  moment  earnestly,  and  then  said, 
«V>wly,"  Yes,  I'll  try  to." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  255 

"  Now  will  you  come  with  me,  and  let  me  talk  to  you  ? 
for  I  know  who  you  are,  and  why  you  are  here." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?" 

"Two  men  stayed  behind  after  the  circus  had  left,  and 
they  hunted  everywhere  for  you." 

"  I  wish  they  had  caught  me,"  moaned  Toby;  "  I  wish  they 
had  caught  me,  for  then  Mr.  Stubbs  wouldn't  be  here  dead." 

And  Toby's  grief  broke  out  afresh  as  he  again  looked  at 
the  poor  little  stiff  form  that  had  been  a  source  of  so  much 
comfort  and  joy  to  him. 

"  Try  not  to  think  of  that  now,  but  think  of  yourself,  and 
of  what  you  will  do,"  said  the  man,  soothingly,  anxious  to 
divert  Toby's  mind  from  the  monkey's  death  as  much  as 


"  I  don't  want  to  think  of  myself,  and  I  don't  care  what 
I'll  do,"  sobbed  the  boy,  passionately. 

"  But  you  must ;  you  can't  stay  here  always,  and  I  will 
try  to  help  you  to  get  home,  or  wherever  it  is  you  want  to 
go,  if  you  will  tell  me  all  about  it." 

It  was  some  time  before  Toby  could  be  persuaded  to 
speak  or  think  of  anything  but  the  death  of  his  pet ;  but  the 
young  man  finally  succeeded  in  drawing  his  story  from 
him,  and  then  tried  to  induce  him  to  leave  that  place  and 
accompany  him  to  the  town. 

"  I  can't  leave  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said  the   boy,  firmly ;  "  he 


256  Toby  Tyler ;  or^ 

never  left  me  the  night  I  got  thrown  out  of  the  wagon  an3 
he  thought  I  was  hurt." 

Then  came  another  struggle  to  induce  him  to  bury  his 
pet ;  and  finally  Toby,  after  realizing  the  fact  that  he  could 
not  carry  a  dead  monkey  anywhere  with  him,  agreed  to  it ; 
but  he  would  not  allow  the  young  man  to  help  him  in  any 
way,  or  even  to  touch  the  monkey's  body. 

He  dug  a  grave  under  a  little  fir-tree  near  by,  and 
lined  it  with  wild  flowers  and  leaves,  and  even  then  hesi- 
tated to  cover  the  body  with  the  earth.  At  last  he  be- 
thought himself  of  the  fanciful  costume  which  the  skel- 
eton and  his  wife  had  given  him,  and  in  this  he  care- 
fully wrapped  his  dead  pet.  He  had  not  one  regret  at 
leaving  the  bespangled  suit,  for  it  was  the  best  he  could 
command,  and  surely  nothing  could  be  too  good  for  Mr. 
Stubbs. 

Tenderly  he  laid  him  in  the  little  grave,  and,  covering 
the  body  with  flowers,  said,  pausing  a  moment  before  he 
covered  it  over  with  earth,  and  while  his  voice  was  choked 
with  emotion,  "Good-bye,  Mr.  Stubbs,  good-bye!  I  wish 
it  had  been  me  instead  of  you  that  died,  for  I'm  an  awful 
sorry  little  boy  now  that  you're  dead !" 

Even  after  the  grave  had  been  filled,  and  a  little  mound 
made  over  it,  the  young  man  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to 
persuade  Toby  to  go  with  him ;  and  when  the  boy  did  con- 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  257 

sent  to  go  at  last  he  walked  very  slowly  away,  and  kept 
turning  his  head  to  look  back  just  so  long  as  the  little 
grave  could  be  seen. 

Then,  when  the  trees  shut  it  completely  out  from  sight, 
the  tears  commenced  again  to  roll  down  Toby's  cheeks,  and 
he  sobbed  out,  "  I  wish  I  hadn't  left  him.  Oh,  why  didn't 
I  make  him  lie  down  by  me  ?  an'  then  he'd  be  alive  now ; 
an'  how  glad  he'd  be  to  know  that  we  was  getting  out  of 
the  woods  at  last !" 

But  the  man  who  had  caused  Toby  this  sorrow  talked  to 
him  about  other  matters,  thus  taking  his  mind  from  the 
monkey's  death  as  much  as  possible,  and  by  the  time  the 
boy  reached  the  village  he  had  told  his  story  exactly  as  it 
was,  without  casting  any  reproaches  on  Mr.  Lord,  and  giv- 
ing himself  the  full  share  of  censure  for  leaving  his  home 
as  he  did. 

Mr.  Lord  and  Mr.  Castle  had  remained  in  the  town  but 
one  day,  for  they  were  told  that  a  boy  had  taken  the  night 
train  that  passed  through  the  town  about  two  hours  after 
Toby  had  escaped,  and  they  had  set  off  at  once  to  act  on 
that  information. 

Therefore  Toby  need  have  no  fears  of  meeting  either  of 
them  just  then,  and  he  could  start  on  his  homeward  journey 
in  peace. 

The  young  man  who  had  caused  the  monkey's  death 


25**  Toby  Tyler;  or, 

tried  first  to  persuade  Toby  to  remain  a  day  or  two  with 
him,  and,  failing  in  that,  he  did  all  he  could  toward  get- 
ting the  boy  home  as  quickly  and  safely  as  possible.  He 
insisted  on  paying  for  his  ticket  on  the  steamboat,  although 
Toby  did  all  he  could  to  prevent  him,  and  he  even  accom- 
panied Toby  to  the  next  town,  where  he  was  to  take  the 
steamer. 

He  had  not  only  paid  for  Toby's  ticket,  but  he  had  paid 
for  a  state-room  for  him ;  and  when  the  boy  said  that  he 
could  sleep  anywhere,  and  that  there  was  no  need  of  such 
expense,  the  man  replied,  "Those  men  who  were  hunting 
for  you  have  gone  down  the  river,  and  will  be  very  likely  to 
search  the  boat,  when  they  discover  that  they  started  on  the 
wrong  scent.  They  will  never  suspect  that  you  have  got  a 
state-room ;  and  if  you  are  careful  to  remain  in  it  during 
the  trip,  you  will  get  through  safely." 

Then,  when  the  time  came  for  the  steamer  to  start,  the 
young  man  said  to  Toby,  "Now,  my  boy,  you  won't  feel 
hard  at  me  for  shooting  the  monkey,  will  you?  I  would 
have  done  anything  to  have  brought  him  to  life ;  but,  as  I 
could  not  do  that,  helping  you  to  get  home  was  the  next 
best  thing  I  could  do." 

"I  know  you  didn't  mean  to  shoot  Mr.  Stubbs,"  said 
Toby,  with  moistening  eyes  as  he  spoke  of  his  pet,  "  an 
I'm  sorry  1  said  what  I  did  to  you  in  che  woods." 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  259 

Before  there  was  time  to  say  any  more  the  warning 
whistle  was  sounded,  the  plank  pulled  in,  the  great  wheels 
commenced  to  revolve,  and  Toby  was  really  on  his  way  to 
Uncle  Daniel  and  Guilford. 

It  was  then  but  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  he 
could  not  expect  to  reach  home  until  two  or  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day ;  but  he  was  in  a  tremor 
of  excitement  as  he  thought  that  he  should  walk  through 
the  streets  of  Guilford  once  more,  see  all  the  boys,  and  go 
home  to  Uncle  Daniel. 

And  yet,  whenever  he  thought  of  that  home,  of  meeting 
those  boys,  of  going  once  more  to  all  those  old  familiar 
places,  the  memory  of  all  that  he  had  planned  when  he 
should  take  the  monkey  with  him  would  come  into  his 
mind  and  damp  even  his  joy,  great  as  it  was. 

That  night  he  had  considerable  difficulty  in  falling  asleep, 
but  did  finally  succeed  in  doing  so;  and  when  he  awoke 
the  steamer  was  going  up  the  river,  whose  waters  seemed 
like  an  old  friend,  because  they  had  flowed  right  down  past 
Guilford  on  their  way  to  the  sea. 

At  each  town  where  a  landing  was  made  Toby  looked 
eagerly  out  on  the  pier,  thinking  that  by  chance  some  one 
from  his  home  might  be  there  and  he  would  see  a  fa- 
miliar face  again.  But  all  this  time  he  heeded  the  advice 
given  him  and  remained  in  his  room,  where  he  could  see 


260  Toby  Tyler ;  or* 

and  not  be  seen ;  and  it  was  well  for  him  that  he  did  so,  for 
at  one  of  the  landings  he  saw  both  Mr.  Lord  and  Mr.  Castle 
come  on  board  the  boat. 

Toby's  heart  beat  fast  and  furious,  and  he  expected  every 
moment  to  hear  them  at  the  door  demanding  admittance, 
for  it  seemed  to  him  that  they  must  know  exactly  where  he 
was  secreted. 

But  no  such  misfortune  occurred.  The  men  had  evi- 
dently only  boarded  the  boat  to  search  for  the  boy,  for  they 
landed  again  before  the  steamer  started,  and  Toby  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  their  backs  as  they  walked  away 
from  the  pier.  It  was  some  time  before  he  recovered 
from  the  fright  which  the  sight  of  them  gave  him;  but 
when  he  did  his  thoughts  and  hopes  far  outstripped  the 
steamer  which,  it  seemed,  was  going  so  slowly,  and  he 
longed  to  see  Guilford  with  an  impatience  that  could 
hardly  be  restrained. 

At  last  he  could  see  the  spire  of  the  little  church  on  the 
hill,  and  when  the  steamer  rounded  the  point,  affording  a 
full  view  of  the  town,  and  sounded  her  whistle  as  a  signal 
for  those  on  the  shore  to  come  to  the  pier,  Toby  could  hard- 
ly restrain  himself  from  jumping  up  and  down  and  shout- 
ing  in  his  delight. 

He  was  at  the  gang-plank  ready  to  land  fully  five  minutes 
before  the  steamer  was  anywhere  near  the  wharf,  and  when 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  261 

he  recognized  the  first  face  on  the  pier  what  a  happy  boy 
he  was ! 

He  was  at  home !  The  dream  of  the  past  ten  weeks  was 
at  length  realized,  and  neither  Mr.  Lord  nor  Mr.  Castle  had 
any  terrors  for  him  now. 

He  ran  down  the  gang-plank  before  it  was  ready  and 
clasped  every  boy  he  saw  there  round  the  neck,  and  would 
have  kissed  them,  if  they  had  shown  an  inclination  to  let 
him  do  so. 

Of  course  he  was  overwhelmed  with  questions,  but  before 
he  would  answer  any  he  asked  for  Uncle  Daniel  and  the 
others  at  home. 

Some  of  the  boys  ventured  to  predict  that  Toby  would 
get  a  jolly  good  whipping  for  running  away,  and  the  only 
reply  which  the  happy  Toby  made  to  that  was, 

"  I  hope  I  will,  an*  then  I'll  feel  as  if  I  had  kinder  paid 
for  runnin'  away.  If  Uncle  Dan'l  will  only  let  me  stay 
with  him  again  he  may  whip  me  every  mornin',  an'  I  won't 
open  my  mouth  to  holler." 

The  boys  were  impatient  to  hear  the  story  of  Toby's  trav 
els,  but  he  refused  to  tell  it  them,  saying, 

"I'll  go  home;  an'  if  Uncle  Dan'l  forgives  me  for  bein' 
so  wicked  I'll  sit  down  this  afternoon  an'  tell  you  all  you 
want  to  know  about  the  circus." 

Then,  far  more  rapidly  than  he  had  runi  away  from  it. 


262  Toby  Tyler ;  or, 

Toby  ran  toward  the  home  which  he  had  called  his  ever 
since  he  could  remember,  and  his  heart  was  full  almost  to 
bursting  as  he  thought  that  perhaps  he  would  be  told  that 
he  had  forfeited  all  claim  to  it,  and  that  he  could  never 
more  call  it  "  home  "  again. 

When  he  entered  the  old  familiar  sitting-room  Uncle 
Daniel  was  seated  near  the  window,  alone,  looking  out 
wistfully — as  Toby  thought — across  the  fields  of  yellow 
waving  grain. 

Toby  crept  softly  in,  and,  going  up  to  the  old  man, 
knelt  down  and  said,  very  humbly,  and  with  his  whole  soul 
in  the  words,  "  Oh,  Uncle  Dan'l !  if  you'll  only  forgive  me 
for  bein'  so  wicked  an'  runnin'  away,  an'  let  me  stay  here 
again — for  it's  all  the  home  I  ever  had — -I'll  do  everything 
you  tell  me  to,  an'  never  whisper  in  meetin'  or  do  anything 
bad." 

And  then  he  waited  for  the  words  which  would  seal  his 
fate.  They  were  not  long  in  coming. 

"  My  poor  boy,"  said  Uncle  Daniel,  softly,  as  he  stroked 
Toby's  refractory  red  hair,  "my  love  for  you  was  greater 
than  I  knew,  and  when  you  left  me  I  cried  aloud  to  the 
Lord  as  if  it  had  been  my  own  flesh  and  blood  that  had 
gone  afar  from  me.  Stay  here,  Toby,  my  son,  and  help  to 
support  this  poor  old  body  as  it  goes  down  into  the  dark 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death ;  and  then,  in  the  bright  light 


OAtflELS    BLESSING. 


Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus.  265 

of  that  glorious  future,  Uncle  Daniel  will  wait  to  go  with 
you  into  the  presence  of  Him  who  is  ever  a  father  to  the 
fatherless." 

And  in  Uncle  Daniel's  kindly  care  we  may  safely  leave 
Toby  Tyler. 


THE    END. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

EDUCATION  -  PSYCHOLOGY 
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7  DAY  USE  DURING 

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SUMMER  SESSIONS 

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AUG  8     1963 


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